


One Year

by Selenay



Series: Three Days and One Year [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Background Relationships, F/M, Magic, Marriage, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-10-15
Updated: 2001-10-15
Packaged: 2017-12-15 01:53:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 96,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/843927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenay/pseuds/Selenay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sequel to Three Days. Will Buffy, Giles and the gang survive the couple's first year of marriage?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this sequel to Three Days (so it'll all make more sense if you've read that) Buffy, Giles and the gang have to deal with the consequences of their actions.
> 
> Note 1: I'm letting Buffy and Giles have some happiness for a while before I start doing nasty things to them. Hence this happy, hopefully non-angsty part. I started this just before Christmas but holidays and flu delayed everything, hence the slightly non-seasonal setting. Stick with this, I'm setting up for exciting things.  
> Note 2: Thanks to everyone who said they'd read this if I wrote it. I didn't realise so many people were reading my stuff. Yes, I'm very insecure

The door-bell rang and Buffy ran to open it.

And stopped dead when instead of Giles, Xander and a Christmas tree there stood Cordelia and a large holdall.

"Surprise!" Cordy cried, grinning. Either that or she was grimacing but we're not going into that now.

"Cordelia," Buffy stated the obvious. "What a . . . surprise."

"I know. Isn't this great? I'm here. In Sunnydale. For Christmas." Somehow the 'greatness' of this moment did not make it into Cordelia's voice.

"For Christmas? All of Christmas?" Buffy was also unconvinced about the greatness.

"Uh-huh. Angel bought me a coach ticket here and said it was his present to me. 'Christmas with your family.'" Now she was here it was not as easy as Angel had made it out to be. "Sorry I didn't call but I didn't even know I was going to be here until a few hours ago. The visions only work for bad stuff."

"Wow. What a present." Buffy had not even flinched at the mention of her ex-lover's name. "Why aren't you with your family? Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but we're not exactly-"

"You've really got your husband's gift for tact," Cordelia commented. She saw Buffy's surprise and smiled her first real smile so far. "Angel told me. Don't ask me how he knew, he just disappeared for a few days and then turned up with the good news. Next time, warn me so I can cancel his appointments."

"I'll keep that in mind," Buffy said dryly.

They stood in awkward silence for a while.

"So-" they both began at the same time, and stopped.

"So," Cordelia began again. "What's with you and Giles anyway? You get a tweed fetish?"

Buffy gave her a wicked grin. "No, I just saw what was **under** the tweed."

Her evil giggle left Cordelia in no doubt as to what Buffy meant. "Eeuww!"

"Buffy, who is it?" Willow called from the lounge.

Cordy saw a flicker of pain cross the blonde's face, and then she called out cheerfully, "You'll never guess."

The brunette followed Buffy into the lounge, muttering about ungracious hostesses with super-human strength forcing their guests to carry their own cases, and found Willow sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by wrapping paper, ribbon and shiny bows. The girl gave an excited squeal, leaped up and enfolded Cordelia a bear hug. _Something's wrong,_ Cordelia thought to herself. "You're not possessed, are you?"

"Of course not," Willow said indignantly. "It's just good to see you. You've been away for so long . . . would you like some tea? Oooh! We made cookies this morning! I'll get some."

She rushed out of the room, muttering happily about guests and tea and cookies and place settings. Cordelia looked at Buffy and raised an eyebrow.

"Oz broke up with her a week ago," Buffy explained. "He and the Dingoes are going touring for a year and he didn't want her waiting for him. Apparently this way if she meets someone she doesn't have to feel guilty. She can get on with her life without him. She's not coping too well."

"Men!" Cordy exclaimed. "They leave you and try to make **you** feel guilty about it! And then they leave unexpected presents just to make things even better. And you wind up getting stupid visions and pounding headaches all because-"

BBRRIING!!!

"Saved by the bell," Buffy muttered to herself thankfully as she ran for the door. She threw open the door, expecting her husband and a Christmas tree, but instead Anya pushed past her.

"Hello Anya, do come in, it's lovely to see you, here, not three hours after you left," Buffy muttered to thin air.

Willow bustled around trying to make everyone comfortable while Buffy, Anya and Cordelia all sat in awkward silence. They made a few half-hearted attempts at starting a conversation but each time trailed back into silence. Willow seemed to be the only one happy, but they all knew that that in itself was wrong. When Buffy heard a key in the front door she ran to it, praying that this time it would be Giles. As soon as she saw his handsome face she hurled herself into his arms, totally ignoring Xander and the Christmas tree, and hugged him so hard he thought he felt his ribs creak.

"H-hello, love," he managed when he could breathe again.

"I have never been so glad to see you in my life," she breathed in his ear. "Not that I'm not always glad to see you, but today, well . . ."

She gave up trying to explain and kissed him.

"You know, this tree is surprisingly heavy," Xander commented from behind them.

They moved out of the doorway into the house so he could get past and Buffy released Giles long enough to say, "Anya, Cordelia and Willow are in the lounge."

"Ah," Giles murmured before Buffy distracted him again.

"Would anyone notice if I went somewhere else for Christmas? Anywhere else." Buffy reached out and thumped Xander's shoulder. "Ow. I guess that's a yes then."

He struggled past them with the tree to meet his fates. Somehow this was not the way he had envisioned Christmas Eve. A horrid thought occurred to him - what if Cordelia was planning to spend the whole of Christmas?

"Somebody kill me," he muttered as he entered the lounge to see his ex-girlfriend, his current girlfriend and his grieving best-friend lined up on the couch.

***

"Mmmm," Buffy sighed when she came up for air.

She began to move away but Giles tightened his arms around her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"We have guests," she explained.

"So you expect to greet me like that and then wander off to look after them?" He pulled her against him to show her what he meant.

"Hmm, you do seem tense," Buffy grinned at him. "But what on earth do you think I can do about that?"

She feigned innocence, having learnt over that past couple of weeks that her husband had a wicked sense of humour. She was not disappointed as he swept her into his arms and she gave a surprised squeal.

"I'm sure we can think of something," he whispered and kissed her.

***

When Cordelia heard Buffy squeal in the hall she decided she really did not want to know what it was. _Maybe staying here is not a great plan,_ she thought to herself. _But here is better than . . . well, there is nowhere else for me to go._ Before she could retreat into those highly depressing thoughts she turned to Willow and asked, "So, why are you doing all this in Christmas Eve? Isn't it a little late even for you lot?"

Her sweeping gesture encompassed the tree Xander was setting up in the corner, with Anya's dubious help, and the newly wrapped presents that now sat beside the couch.

"Well, we've been kinda busy lately," Willow began to explain. "While Buffy and Giles were, uh, sorting out the spell thing and the marriage thing they sort of left the Slaying thing so we've been trying to catch up. Christmas got sort of, uh, left out in all of it."

"Huh. And I thought Angel was bad about Christmas."

"I think we've got it," Xander commented as he and Anya released the tree and it actually stayed upright in it's stand. "Now for the decorations."

"Goody!" Willow shrieked.

Cordelia winced. 

***

"You know, I've decided this is my favourite place in the world," Buffy commented.

She was lying in their bed, wrapped in Giles' arms; her head rested on his chest, and she felt pleasantly sated. 

"Our bedroom?" he asked sleepily.

"No. With you." She craned her head to smile up at him. "I love you."

He kissed the top of her head and said, "I thought you might."

Buffy sat up and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Big head."

"Violence gets you nowhere," he replied.

"I'll remember that the next time I go patrolling," she said, grinning, and got out of bed to start dressing. "Now, we have a guest, remember?"

"She's not staying all Christmas, is she?"

Buffy nodded.

"What fun," Giles said dryly as he also began to dress.

"Maybe it'll distract Willow," Buffy said hopefully. "She's just getting worse at the moment. I think I preferred the constant crying over this weird happiness."

"We just have to give her time and our support and she'll come through. You managed to get over Angel," he pointed out, relieved that he could now say the vampire's name without wanting to kill him.

"Only because I was already in love with you."

"You were?"

Buffy finished zipping up her skirt and went over to him so she could wrap her arms around his waist. "I was. I just didn't know it at the time."

He leaned down and kissed her. Eventually he pulled away, saying, "Don't we have guests? If we don't go now I doubt we ever will."

"And that would be bad how?"

He glared at her, but could not hold it long and began smiling at her.

"Ok, ok, I'm going," Buffy grumbled.

***

The evening was not as bad they thought it would be. After the initial awkwardness everyone seemed to unfreeze and they actually had fun. Even Cordelia seemed more relaxed than normal, telling funny stories about her adventures in LA and helping get the house set up for the next day. Buffy did a quick patrol after supper and returned to spend the rest of the evening cuddled up next to Giles. At half past eleven they set out for midnight communion, leaving the others to go to bed. Giles had raised an eyebrow when Xander and Anya announced that Cordelia was sleeping in the guest room and Anya would be in Xander's, but said nothing. After all, what could he really say?

The church he and Buffy went to was not far from the house but they took the car anyway, not wanting to meet any vampires on the way over. He had been telling her a few days before about Christmas traditions when he was a boy and mentioned the midnight service. With one thing and another he had not attended since he arrived in Sunnydale, but Buffy had decided that this year they would. As they entered the church he breathed in the familiar smell and smiled down into her happy face.

It had been years since Buffy had been to any kind of church service but there was something special about this. She felt peaceful.

They sang the old carols, giggling as Giles told her some 'alternate' words to 'While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks', listened to the talks and took communion. As the congregation sang the final carol, 'O Come All Ye Faithful', the joy on everyone's faces infected Buffy and she could not help grinning.

The house was dark and silent by the time they got back and they whispered and laughed quietly as they crept upstairs.

***

Cordelia was finding it difficult to sleep. Returning to Sunnydale was not the way she had imagined it would be. Everyone seemed happier than when she left; Xander had Anya and Buffy and Giles were doing the newly-wed thing. _Maybe a drink of water will help,_ she thought and got out of bed.

As she passed Willow's room she heard quiet sobbing. After a brief mental debate she peeked in. Willow was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees and crying pitifully. Cordelia knew she was not good with other people's emotional stuff. _Mr Spock is probably better,_ she admitted to herself. _I have spent much too much time around Xander. But Willow is, well, not my friend because she's basically . . . Willow, but also she's Willow and hurting her is like hurting a really pathetic puppy._

So she sat on the edge of Willow's bed and patted her shoulder, murmuring "There, there."

Willow carried on crying, seemingly unaware that Cordelia was even there but eventually she began to calm down a little. The only light in the room was from the moon, but with a little rummaging Cordelia managed to find some tissues and give them to her.

"Thanks," Willow whispered. "I know I look pathetic, but I didn't think anyone was still awake."

"I couldn't sleep," Cordelia told her. "That's quite an act you put on earlier. I'm impressed."

"Buffy is so happy and I don't want to spoil Christmas for her. It's her first one with Giles and I know she wants it to be perfect and it wouldn't be with me moping and crying about Oz and-"

"I understand," Cordelia cut her off mid-rant. "When Xander . . . I put on this huge act so no one would know how much he hurt me."

"I'm sorry," Willow said, feeling guilty even though it was over a year ago.

"Don't be. If I had **really** wanted to make up with him I would have worked everything out. The way you and Oz did." She saw tears well up in the red-head's eyes at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. "You're still trying not to hate Oz, aren't you?"

Willow nodded tearfully. "It's not his fault-"

"It is. He's the one that's broken up with you. He's the coward who's afraid to hang around. Why do you think he's done it? I'll tell you. It's so that if he meets someone while he's away he won't have to feel guilty about you. It's got nothing to do with sparing you pain; it's about easing his guilt. If you're going to get over this you've got to start blaming the right person. And that's him. I got over Xander because I could blame . . . well, you actually. Now I can see that we would never have worked out anyway, but at the time I thought my world was ending. You may love Oz, but trying not to blame him only prolongs your pain."

For the first time in over a week Willow began to feel as though someone understood her. Buffy had tried, but her situation with Angel was totally different. They could not be together whereas she and Oz had broken up because he was . . . _Selfish_ she thought. _He's selfish. But he's not really; he's kind and - selfish. You won't stop hurting until you stop loving him. He's selfish._

"You know, you're actually kind of smart," she told the brunette.

"Just don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to keep up."

"Do you want to take Buffy's old bed?" Willow asked. "I don't really like being alone right now."

Cordelia could see her eyes were drooping. _Probably tired from all that crying_ she thought, realising at the same time that she was also incredibly tired now. _Comforting people is actually exhausting._ Aloud she said, "Ok, just don't snore."

_Tonight definitely qualifies as weird,_ she thought as she drifted off. _Ok, it felt sort of nice, but who would have thought that I, Cordelia Chase, would wind up helping Willow Rosenburg, of all people?_

***

Buffy felt warm, relaxed and safe as she woke up. There was warmth at her back and as she woke a little she was aware of an arm around her waist and a hand massaging her stomach. It sent warm flutters through her and as she stirred she felt a light kiss on her bare shoulder. She gave a contented sigh and rolled over. Warm lips caught hers and kissed her leisurely.

"Mmm," she murmured when she was released. She opened her eyes. "Hi."

"Good morning," Giles replied. He kissed her again. "Merry Christmas."

"Oh! I nearly forgot. You're **way** too good at distracting me."

Buffy sat up excitedly and crawled to the bottom of the bed where a stocking lay. Giles had produced it the previous night as they were going to bed, admonishing her that it was not to be opened until morning. She had felt slightly guilty about not thinking of making one for him but he had quickly reassured her, among other things.

The former Watcher watched his excited wife, smiling happily. He truly could not remember ever being this happy. Although he sensibly was not going to tell her, he thought she looked both funny and sexy at the moment, with her long golden hair tangled and tossed every which way, wearing nothing but a sheet and tearing open presents like a child. Sometimes it was easy to forget that she was only eighteen and at others, like this, it was hard to believe she was even that old. Although her bare back and the memory of their lovemaking the previous night were fairly vivid reminders.

The presents in the stocking were a mixture of practical and frivolous. In with the stockings and toothpaste were sweets, a trashy novel that she loved (and she was slightly amazed that Giles even knew where in a bookshop it would be found until she reminded herself he had been a librarian for several years) and a beautiful pair of earrings. She crawled back up the bed to hug Giles.

"Thank you," she whispered and kissed him.

A few minutes later she asked, "When do we have to put the turkey in the oven?"

Giles glanced at the clock and replied, "We have about forty-five minutes, love."

"Goody."

***

Cordelia was looking at the cage holding Amy when Willow woke up. _Surreal_ the red head thought.

"Morning," she said aloud.

"At last!" Cordelia replied. "I thought you'd never wake up. You sleep like a log."

Willow looked at her, slightly confused. "You could have just left. You didn't have to wait for me."

Cordy was not going to tell that she had and come back, still feeling as though she was kicking a puppy if she did not make some effort to help the witch. So she told her, "I didn't want to wake you. Are you still going to be doing the 'pretending to be ok' thing?"

Over the years Willow had learnt never to push if Cordelia was being evasive. "Uh-huh. Thanks for what you said. It's helping, a little."

"Good. Now, are you getting up or can I have the shower first?"

***

By the time they got downstairs Buffy, Giles, Anya and Xander were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. 

"Finally!" Xander exploded. "Now everyone's here are we going to open the presents?" He seemed to remember that Giles was there and added, "Unless G-man over there wants to show the British character and wait for hours."

"Not at all. I was going to say that it was about time." Giles stood with his cup of tea. "Last one there is Postman. And don't call me that."

No one was entirely sure what he meant but they all ran for the lounge. Buffy was the last one there, thanks to a convenient elbow as she tried to get through the crush at the door, and had to hand out the presents before she settled down next to Giles on the sofa. Within minutes the room was covered in shiny paper and everyone was chattering excitedly. 

Willow was almost beside herself with joy at her present from Giles; it was one of his advanced books that he had hidden from her and contained some animal transformation spells. 

"Thank you!" she beamed at him. It was not just the spells that excited her, it was the knowledge that he trusted her enough to have them.

Xander produced his present for Anya from his pocket and gave it to her. It was a small jewellery box tied with a ribbon and for a long moment the former demon eyed it suspiciously.

"Anya, I-" he began, but she cut him off.

"I can't accept this. I'm sorry, but I just can't. It's far too soon."

"You can't accept this?" He looked hurt. "We've been together for several months and you can't accept a Christmas present?"

"It's a Christmas present?" Anya sounded confused.

"Well, it's Christmas so . . . present. What did you - oh no!" Xander began laughing as he realised what she had thought.

"It's not funny." Anya was sounding grumpy now. "Buffy and Giles have so I thought you would-"

"Anya, they're totally different to us."

"Amen," Giles said, just quietly enough that only Buffy could hear him, and she jabbed him with her elbow.

"It's just a pendant. I thought you'd like it," Xander finished. He quickly opened the box and showed it to her.

"Xander, it's lovely. Thank you."

The couple began kissing while everyone else reflected yet again on how weird they were. Willow suddenly remembered the present that had not been given yet and dashed to retrieve it from its hiding place behind the sofa.

"This isn't really a Christmas present," she said as she handed the Slayer and her former Watcher a flat present, "more of a late wedding present. We know you don't have any wedding photos 'cause your wedding was a bit weird so we made this. I hope you like it because, well, uh-"

"Will, give us a second and we'll tell you," Buffy said as she and Giles attempted to open the parcel.

They succeeded and sat for a moment in stunned silence. It was a large frame containing a collage of photos of Buffy and Giles. _Willow and Xander must have dug out every photo with us in it,_ Buffy thought. There were ones from all sorts of events, including one from the Prom she had not even known existed. The ones from the summer showed a far more relaxed Giles, and she ruefully acknowledged that the looks they had been giving each other even then were fairly intense. The central photo must have been taken since their marriage. They were lying on the sofa, with Buffy pulled back against his chest and Giles was evidently reading to her. Neither of them had even been aware the photo had been taken. 

Much hugging and tearfulness ensued as Buffy thanked them for the gift and even Giles looked a little choked up.

***

The day passed in a haze of food, presents and corny Christmas movies. Buffy and Giles made lunch and locked everyone else out of the kitchen. The locked door did not stop things leaking out such as Buffy saying "Watchers look funny with only nine fingers," and Giles replying "Technically that would be two thumbs and seven fingers." The Gang looked slightly worried by all this but decided to do their best to ignore it.

The food was actually delicious and no one had the energy to move for some time afterwards. Buffy and Giles went for a walk late in the afternoon, enjoying the rare chance to walk around without looking for vampires, although they made sure they were home before dark. Then they spent the rest of the day on the sofa in much the same pose as in their photo, watching movies. By midnight everyone was sleepy, although Buffy actually was asleep. Being careful not to wake her Giles picked her up and quietly said goodnight to everyone.

As he carried his love and his life up the stairs he wondered what the year ahead had in store for them. _Hopefully more of this,_ he thought, reflecting on the happy day.


	2. Chapter 2

Even after over a month of marriage Giles still woke up every morning surprised and pleased to find Buffy in his arms and that recent events had not been a dream. As usual they were lying spoon fashion with his arms around her waist. Asleep and dressed in over-sized, pale yellow pyjamas she looked impossibly innocent.

He glanced at the clock on her bedside table and saw it was only just past eight. It was Saturday and Buffy had been tired for the past few days so he decided to let her sleep. He carefully eased away from her and got out of the bed, throwing a robe on as he left the room. When he got downstairs he put the kettle on and began to make himself some breakfast. He was determined not to worry about his Slayer yet. She had been busier than usual lately and now Willow had the flu so she had to look after her friend on top of everything else. _Today, she will rest_ he vowed to himself.

The kettle boiled and he made up the flu relief drink they had been feeding Willow before making his pot of tea. He left the tea to brew while he went upstairs to check on the sick witch. Giles opened her door as quietly as he could, but she was already awake and staring at the ceiling. Her normally pale face was flushed with fever, although she tried to give him a reassuring smile. He set the cup down on her bedside table and laid a hand on her forehead to check her temperature.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I've felt better," Willow croaked. "I've also felt worse so, you know, plus side."

He helped her sit up and gave her the cup of flu relief. She made a face as she drank it, but she did not argue about it. "Is Buffy up yet?" she asked.

Giles smiled gently as he thought of her. "No, she's still asleep. Which is what you should be doing."

Willow smiled sleepily. "I can't sleep. I feel too . . . yucky. I'm . . . just going . . . to . . . what did you put . . . in . . .?"

He pulled the covers up to the sleeping witch's chin and quietly left the room.

***

Buffy was just beginning to surface when she felt the bed next to her dip. It was then that she realised that she was not waking up in Giles' arms and she missed the sensation more than she had thought she could. She opened her eyes sleepily and looked up at him sitting next to her.

"Good morning," he said quietly, stroking her cheek softly. Amazingly, considering how small she was, she had managed to sprawl across the entire bed. "Did you sleep well?"

"Great," she answered, her voice husky from sleep. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon."

Buffy's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"

"Would I joke about something like that?"

"I must have been more tired than I thought." Buffy started to close her eyes again, but woke up when a thought occurred to her. "Did you check on Willow? She must be-"

"Resting comfortably. I've checked on her twice. You needed the rest."

"Thanks." Buffy's stomach let out a loud growl and she grinned sheepishly. "In books and movies this part always gets left out."

"Which part?"

"The part where the heroine makes strange noises 'cause she's hungry and embarrasses herself totally."

"Ah, but those heroines aren't real, which makes them excruciatingly boring, unlike the one sitting in my bed."

"You're not getting past that idea anytime soon, are you?"

Giles leaned down and kissed her. "Not if I can help it."

"Cool." Buffy kissed him back. "I don't suppose you brought breakfast with you?"

"As it happens . . ." Giles picked up the tray he had left on the floor.

"You are the best," Buffy grinned at him, and then was silent as she ate hungrily.

Giles had a cup of tea while she ate, and when she had polished off all five slices of toast and a bowl of cereal the tiny blonde woman wiped her mouth and sighed happily.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" she asked, hoping those plans involved her and no prophecies.

"Well, I need to buy some food or we'll all be eating toast for supper, but after that I'm all yours." He blushed as he realised what he had said. "Not that I expect . . . you seem to need to rest . . . I-"

Buffy cut him off by kissing him. _If only I had known how well this worked when he lectured me at school,_ she thought as she deepened the kiss. "I think I'm all rested now," she whispered as she pulled away.

"Hmm?" Giles sounded a little distracted.

Buffy placed a few kisses on his neck while her hands started exploring. "Yup, definitely rested. Full of energy."

"You should still-"

"Gi-uh-Rup-uh, sweetie?" so have to get used to calling him something non-formal > she told herself.

"Yes love?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

"With pleasure."

***

Some time later the couple stood in the kitchen heating soup. Or at least, Buffy was heating soup and Giles was standing behind her, kissing her neck, putting a hand inside her robe and generally distracting her.

"Giles? Sweetie? If you don't stop that you're gonna wind up with hot soup all over the place."

"Hi guys, I'm home," Xander yelled as he slammed the front door closed behind him.

By the time he reached the kitchen Buffy and Giles were sitting at the kitchen table dividing the soup into two bowls, looking as though butter would not melt in their mouths.

"I thought you were gone all day," Buffy noted.

"I was, but now I'm not." He grimaced. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's just say that former demons and poison ivy do not a happy couple make."

"Sorry Xand. How did you find poison ivy? On second thoughts, never tell me."

"So, you two are up late. Oh god, I did not want to notice that."

"Serves you right for not being out when you said you would be."

Giles hid a grin at Buffy's words.

"So, moving on to a totally different topic, what are you doing for your birthday Buff? We need to plan. I mean, it's only a couple of days away now."

"I had a couple of ideas. Either I could have the traditional mind-numbing horror, or I could lock myself in my bedroom for the day. I'm going for option two." Buffy smiled at her friend so she missed the pain that flickered across Giles' face.

"I was thinking more along the lines of party hats, music and eating till we're sick, but your plan sounds good too."

"Buffy, I'm so sorry," Giles apologised.

That was when Buffy realised what she had said and how much they had not talked about yet. For once she was going to have to be careful what she said or he would never stop feeling guilty about the events of her last birthday. Between them they had more guilt than the entire Roman Catholic Church put together and sometimes Buffy wished that some of the effects of the Rite of Atani had lasted longer. She took his hand, holding it tightly in hers, and looked into his eyes.

"I forgave you for that a long time ago. About the time you told Travers that you were never leaving me. It was the first time I realised how much you cared for me, and it was probably the first time I started to fall for you."

"I'm sorry for putting you through that. I should never have done that."

"It's in the past now. You're always telling me not to feel guilty about my mistakes; well, you need to take that advice too. If that hadn't happened, maybe none of this would have happened either. And that would have been worse than anything else I could have gone through."

Giles searched eyes, but only found sincerity. "I love you Buffy."

"And I love you, Rupert." Buffy grimaced again. "It still feels weird calling you that."

"Not nearly as weird as hearing you say it," Xander commented.

"Thank you Xander. When you've finished interrupting important moments in our marriage, would you like to leave," Giles said dryly.

Xander saw the glare the older man was giving him and decided that leaving was a good idea.

***

Buffy did not precisely spend her birthday locked in her room. She merely spent it in the house. Giles woke her before he left to kiss her and wish her a happy day, but she was so tired and groggy she barely even noticed. He tried not to worry and told himself that she was simply busier than normal. _Slaying, attending college, looking after a sick friend and being newly married was sure to have an effect,_ he thought as he left the house. _I'm sure she'll be fine with a little more rest and now that Willow's recovering that will take some of the pressure off her. I just wish there were more that I could do._

Buffy did not wake until nearly noon, but she felt more refreshed than she had for days. The sun was shining, she could faintly hear a bird singing and she felt great. Seeing the empty bed beside her she felt a brief pang of loneliness. _You've only been married a little over a month and you're getting lonely if he's gone for more than a few minutes. You have it bad, girl._

She could vaguely remember him kissing her before he left for work, but that was so vague she was not sure whether she had dreamed it. _Taking today off college was a good idea just for my chance to sleep in again,_ she thought as she stretched, feeling awake for the first time in days.

By the time she got dressed and went downstairs it was early afternoon and she was hungry. Buffy found Willow in the lounge watching TV and offered to make her some lunch. Instead the witch told her that some pizza was on its way and she had planned an afternoon of videos for them.

"I thought, it's the first time I've been up and eating for days, and it's you birthday, so we might was well make the best of it. Happy birthday by the way."

"Thanks Will. I guess you're feeling better?"

"Yup," Willow grinned at her. "I'm not going to be running a marathon tomorrow, but I feel much better." The doorbell rang. "That's the pizza. Could you get it? My legs still wobble when I walk."

As the afternoon progressed Buffy decided that this was the most fun she had had on her birthday for years. _Although the competition does not make that hard,_ she thought.

As the day darkened and the sun went down Buffy began to get impatient.

"Buffy, he had a late class. He'll be here," Willow tried to reassure her friend.

"I know, it's just that, well, with past events - did you hear that?" Buffy said suddenly.

"Hear what?"

"I thought I heard - stay here," Buffy commanded.

"No arguments about that," Willow muttered but the Slayer was already gone.

She could hear something outside. It had sounded like a flowerpot smashing, and as she listened she could hear faint rustling and scraping. Her first instinct was to say 'it's my birthday and I don't want to do this' but she went with her second instinct, which was to grab a stake and go outside. The noises were coming from the back yard and as she followed them she could hear occasional muttered curses. She rounded the corner of the house to see a dark shape behind one of the bushes beneath the kitchen window. The moon had not risen yet so she could not make out anymore than that, but it was enough. In one move she covered the few steps to the intruder and shoved him up against the wall so she could see his face.

"Angel?" she breathed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Angel?" Buffy repeated.

How could he be here after all they had said? After all that had happened? Buffy's shock at seeing her former lover gave way to a cold, burning anger. How could he be here today of all days?

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Would you mind letting go of my throat?" Angel asked. "Makes it kind of hard to have a meaningful conversation when I'm being throttled."

Buffy paused for a moment, and then released him, standing back and crossing her arms over her chest. The look she gave him would have frozen oxygen.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated.

Angel looked around him and then asked, "Could we talk inside? This is Sunnydale after all."

Buffy managed to restrain her growl of frustration and led the vampire into the house. As soon as Willow saw Buffy and Angel her eyes went wide and she began babbling.

"Hi Angel. You're here. Why are you here? Actually I don't need to know. You guys need to talk. I'll go and . . . do something somewhere that isn't here. Would you like some tea? No, you're a vampire. Sorry. We don't have any blood. Apart from . . . I'm not going there. Coffee? Ok, I'm rambling. Would you like me to go away now? Bye."

Willow got up and wobbled to the kitchen to make herself some herbal tea to calm her nerves.

Buffy stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed and glared at the vampire, who began to look uncomfortable. "Talk," she demanded.

Angel took a few steps towards her. "I wanted to make sure you're alright. That you're happy."

"You were spying on me?"

"In a way," Angel admitted. "I still worry about you. This thing with Giles, it seems so sudden."

Buffy's face softened. "I know I was as surprised as anyone, but he makes me feel happier than I have in a long time."

Angel put on his best 'pensive, worried' expression. "How?"

"I love him and he loves me," Buffy replied simply. Before she could be distracted more from her anger she said, "What right do you have to spy on me? When you left you said we needed to be apart. Does that only hold for me? Are you exempt from that just because I've moved on?"

"Have you really moved on?" Angel asked. "Or are you just using him? When I left-"

"When you left I turned into a gibbering wreck." Buffy stated. "But now I **have** moved on."

"Are you sure? It just seems strange. One minute you're lodging with him, the next you're marrying him. I know all about the spell, but that doesn't explain-"

"It does!"

***

Giles herded Xander up the path to the front door. Picking the younger man up from the hotel where he worked had taken longer than Giles had anticipated and he wanted to make sure that Buffy did not worry too much. Once he was inside he put his briefcase and packages down and shrugged out of his coat. Usually by the time had done that Buffy would have rushed through the house to greet him, but there was nothing. Growing slightly concerned he followed Xander down the hall towards the kitchen. _Perhaps she didn't hear me,_ he thought doubtfully.

He paused at the lounge door when he heard voices. The door was only slightly ajar so he could not see who was in there but he could make out voices and heard Buffy shout, "It does!"

As she began to go on in a more controlled voice he found he could not make himself enter the room. _I'll just wait a moment before I burst in like the jealous husband I seem to be turning into,_ he told himself.

"It does," he heard her repeat. "Don't you think it's weird that instead of running to LA to find you I went to him? When I was forced to do what I **really** wanted to do I seduced Giles. That's right, I seduced him. I would have worked it out eventually even if Whistler hadn't stuck his nose in, but-"

"Whistler?" Giles started when he recognized Angels' voice, but he decided to ignore his instinct to kill the vampire in favor of finding out what was going on.

"Yeah, Whistler. We had a note from him a few days after we got back from Vegas."

"He didn't tell me," Giles heard Angel mutter.

"Who?"

Angel ignored her question. "Are you sure you love him? That you're not mistaking friendship for something else?"

"Angel I'll always love you." Giles felt his heart sink at her words. He had been right all along - she did not really want him. "What we had was special and I can't forget that. And I think he feels the same way about Jenny. But we can't be together and I'm not going to spend the rest of my life moping around and brooding in the dark because of that. I love Rupert more that I thought possible." Giles' heart soared again. "I thought love had to be; it was with you. We hurt each other all the time and even at the best of times there always pain. I know I've hurt Rupert more times than I want to count, and he even hurt me once, but now it would . . . I don't know how to explain. I just know that I would die before I hurt him again. He makes me happy."

For a while there was silence. Then Angel said, "I see."

"I hope you do," Buffy responded. "The way I hurt him most was with you."

"I know."

"I moved on from you because I had somewhere to move to. I don't know what I would do if I lost him, but you can't both be in my life."

"I know."

"You can't come and spy on me," Giles detected a note of humor in her voice. "Just ask Cordelia if you need to know anything."

"Cordelia?"

"Don't you know? She and Willow are becoming quite the phone buds. Life here just gets weirder and weirder. Sweetie, are you coming in here or are going to spy all night?"

Giles chuckled to himself and opened the door fully. "I wasn't entirely certain you had heard me come in."

Buffy crossed the room and gave him a quick kiss. "When have I ever not known you were nearby?"

"Never, love." He put an around her waist and turned to face Angel. "Did you want anything else," he asked coolly.

"I think I got everything," the vampire replied.

Buffy gestured and he walked out. As he passed her he whispered, "You look well."

"I am well," Buffy said aloud.

As soon as the door closed behind him Buffy let out a sigh of relief.


	4. Chapter 4

For a while Buffy and Giles just stood holding each other close. After what had just happened it felt good to be together. When Buffy began to stir Giles pulled back slightly and looked down at her.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked gently.

Buffy looked thoughtful. "Strangely, yeah. I think we needed to do that. You know, sort out where we are, lay down what we are. I needed to tell him about you and he had to hear it. I feel . . . sort of like I've had a huge weight taken off me."

"What is it you Americans call it? Ah, yes, closure."

"Closure. That sounds right." Buffy looked at him closely. "Are you alright Rupert?"

"I think so. Closure is a marvelous thing." He smiled down at her, only now noticing something. "You called me Rupert."

A look of surprised delight crossed Buffy's face. "I did, didn't I? Cool. Must be a side effect of the closure thing."

When he leaned down and kissed her she was surprised by how much she needed that; the knowledge that he really was here and really did love her. 

"So, how has your birthday gone so far?" Giles asked when they decided they needed some oxygen.

"Great until the Angel thing, but I seem to have got the gut-wrenching horror part out of the way early so I'm hoping the rest will be fun," she grinned at him and placed a kiss on his neck. "A lot of fun."

"Later," he promised groaning as she kissed his throat again. "For now, ah, we have other matters to attend to."

"But I like these matters," Buffy pouted at him, knowing that always distracted him.

"You, my love, do not play fair," he complained.

"I'm trying not to. Am I succeeding?"

He glared at her. "Will you stop that? At least, for now, later though . . ."

She sighed and stepped back from him. "So, what are you gonna do?"

Giles produced a black scarf from his pocket and Buffy giggled at him. "Rupert, I'm shocked. I thought you were a decent, respectable man."

He decided not to say anything. When she got into a playful mood like this there was no way he would ever win against her. Instead he tied the blindfold around her eyes and instructed her not to peek. She looked a lot better than she had when he left in the morning; the dark circles under her eyes were gone and there was a little color in her face.

Buffy was feeling slightly puzzled. She could hear Rupert moving around the room and then she thought she heard him go out into the hall. Near the front door, she thought, she heard him stop and pick something up and then he was striding back to her. He took her arm and began leading her, carefully telling her when she had to go down steps so she did not fall but otherwise being mysterious. _The Basement? What's down here?_ When they got to the bottom of the stairs he left her again and she heard muffled giggles and rustling. After a minute Rupert was back again and began leading her across the floor. When they stopped he removed the blindfold and she stood blinking in the sudden light. Then she blinked again at the sight before her.

The Basement had been decorated with streamers and a banner saying 'Happy Birthday Buffy'. The table where they usually researched was piled high with food and presents and her friends were gathered around it grinning. Xander and Willow were there of course, but somehow Anya and Cordelia were there too. _How did they sneak in?_

"Happy Birthday love," Rupert said as he kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, Buff, Happy Birthday," Xander repeated.

"Happy Birthday! Are you surprised? I hope you are 'cos this is a birthday surprise and they only work if you're, you know, surprised. I know you don't normally like a surprise parties but we figured if the world tried to end tonight we could always postpone, and now, well, it hasn't so . . . surprise." Willow was quite excited and she had drunk two glasses of Pepsi already, so the combination of caffeine and excitement was impressive.

"Thanks guys," Buffy said, smiling.

Willow started up the music while Xander eyed the food hungrily, and the party began. As Buffy relaxed and chattered she found out that it had actually been a fairly last minute plan and Cordy had been smuggled in while she was asleep that morning. She gaped when she realized that the crash she had heard earlier that evening had actually been Anya trying to sneak in the back door rather than Angel, and laughed when Willow said she had almost had a heart attack every time Buffy went past the Basement door during the day.

This birthday was actually turning out to be better than her previous ones. Seeing Angel again had been one of the hardest things she had ever had to do but it had been important and she felt that now she could be happy with Giles without feeling as though all the unresolved issues with Angel were hanging over her head. Her feelings had changed while his had not, but it was something he had to deal with and she could not and would not help. She wanted to go on with her life and not look back anymore, and her life was with Giles. _Rupert,_ she corrected with a grin. _God that feels good to say._

***

Later that night when everyone had gone to bed Buffy lay staring down at Rupert. "Do I get my present now?" she asked and kissed his shoulder.

"I thought I already gave you something," he protested with a grin.

"Tickets to the Ice Show are not what I was talking about. I mean they're great, and I can't wait to see it, but you promised . . ."

"What, exactly, did I promise?"

"You are a tease," Buffy accused as she began trailing her hand over his chest.

"And what were you earlier?"

"I wasn't teasing, I was completely serious. You were the one who wanted to wait till later. I'm sure the others wouldn't have minded waiting for half an hour."

"Half an hour?"

"Maybe an hour."

"Xander had already eaten half of those Cheesy things by the time we made out appearance."

Buffy let her hand wander lower. "There was enough food there to feed an army. I'm sure there would have been stuff left. You just wanted to get there to stuff your face. Admit it. I saw you scarfing those chicken wings."

"Love, you talk to much."

"Don't you have a saying about pots calling kettles black?"

"Shush."


	5. Chapter 5

The storm came up without warning. When Giles set out the sun was shining brightly. By the time he had bought the milk and papers at a nearby shop black clouds were gathering overhead. Five minutes later the heavens opened and Giles was caught in one of Sunnydale's periodic torrential downpours. He began to jog the rest of the way home but stopped when he heard a noise. It was only just audible over the rain but it sounded like something was wailing. He looked around and saw a cardboard box in the alley where the noises were coming from.

***

Buffy paced up and down in the hall waiting for Giles to arrive. Normally she could be perfectly calm when he went out but he had been gone a long time, there was a storm raging and a lot of the bad things that had happened to her had happened when there were raging storms. She heard the key in the lock of the front door and was standing waiting when it opened.

"Where have you been? Do realise it's raining our there? How long does it take to buy milk? You're soaked!" Buffy paused for a moment. "Why is you're jacket squeaking?"

Giles carefully opened his jacket, keeping one arm positioned to protect his precious cargo, and revealed a small bundle of bedraggled fur. He handed it to Buffy and the bundle revealed itself to be two tiny, shivering kittens.

"Aww, Rupert, where did you find them?" Buffy asked as she struggled to hold onto the squirming bodies.

"W-well, I, uh, found them in a box in an alley." Giles removed his damp jacket and rain speckled glasses so he did not need to look at her. The kittens looked to be the only survivors of a litter of five. In spite of her occupation his wife was soft hearted where helpless creatures were concerned, a fact he was proud of because he had seen first hand how easily someone could go completely the other way. "They seem to have been abandoned."

"Who would want to abandon them like that? They could have died."

"As we have been shown many times, some people can be as cruel as some demons."

Buffy held the kittens closer. One was deep black with a white patch on its cheek and the other was white with several different hued patches. "What are you going to do with them?"

"I'm not sure. But if they'd stayed out there any longer . . ."

Buffy nodded. "That's why I love you. Well, I guess they need to be dried off first."

At that moment Willow burst though the front door, shaking water off her yellow raincoat. "Hey Buffy! Wow, the rain is - why are you holding kittens?"

"Rupert found them," Buffy told her.

"They're so cute! Don't you think they're cute? Are we keeping them? I love cats. Can I hold one?"

Buffy handed her the black kitten and began to make her way upstairs, talking over her shoulder. "I don't know if we're keeping them. I killed my goldfish and I'm not even getting into what I did to my egg baby."

"Buffy, in all fairness that was entirely unavoidable," Giles said from behind Willow.

"But with my life can I really look after someone? Even a cat?"

She reached the linen closet and pulled out two hand towels. The she looked at Giles and pulled out a larger towel for him. He was beginning to drip on the floor. She and Willow went into Willow's bedroom to dry the tiny cats and Giles went into the bathroom to dry himself off.

As she dried the kitten Buffy examined it. She would check with Giles but she thought it was a female. At first sight she appeared to be an unusual looking cat, but Buffy thought she actually quite liked the quirky features. Her legs were a bit too short and her ears looked too large for her head. Her ears and the top half of her face had tabby markings with a narrow stripe of white down the centre. She had a pink nose and the rest of her face and most of her body was white. Her left front shoulder and leg had another tabby patch and her back had a black one. Buffy decided her tail was probably more suited to a racoon and as she dried the tiny kitten she found that its fur was actually quite fluffy. Not long certainly, but not short either. _Gizmo,_ Buffy thought as she looked at her face. _Looks like Gizmo._

"I'm gonna name him Button because that white patch looks like, well, a button." Willow was smiling at the cat, which was starting to purr now it was dry.

Buffy continued rubbing her little one with the towel even though she was dry. The tiny thing was starting to stop shivering but it seemed to like the towel. "This one looks like Gizmo from the Gremlins movie," Buffy grinned.

"Buffy!" Willow exclaimed.

"Well she does. But she's kind of cute."

"She'll grow into her ears, I'm sure."

"You think?" Buffy asked doubtfully. "I sort of like them. She's unique."

"That's one way to put it."

When Giles returned from his shower, running a hand though his damp hair and relieved to be in dry clothes again, he found the girls still admiring the kittens. Willow's black one was curled up on her lap asleep and Buffy was playing 'catch the feather' with her patchwork one.

"Do I take it that we've acquired two more members for our family?" he asked dryly. He had a feeling it would be easier to stop a herd of stampeding buffalo than take the kittens away.

"Can we?" Buffy asked turning imploring hazel eyes on him and smiling hopefully.

Willow said nothing, knowing that Buffy would persuade him much better than she could.

Giles sighed. "I'll go down to pet shop and get them some food shall I?"

Buffy flashed him a delighted grin. "Could you get a basket too? And a litter tray? And some toys? And maybe . . ."

"Do you want to go instead?"

"It's raining. You wouldn't want me to get wet, would you?"

"Perish the thought. After all, I didn't get soaked not half an hour ago."

"Grumpy."

Giles gave in and left. After all these years he still needed to be quick witted to win an argument with Buffy.

"You two are so sweet," Willow commented.

"Huh?"

"Even when you're doing the arguing thing you look all gooey at each other. It's sweet."

"Will, I'm sorry if you've been feeling neglected."

"Neglected?"

"Well, I've been so preoccupied with Giles and getting used to being married. I'm sorry you felt you had to go to Cordelia-"

"Buffy, that's not why I went to her."

"It isn't?" Buffy was surprised. Willow and Cordelia had always had a poorly concealed hatred so she could not think of any other reason for them to suddenly be friends.

Willow smiled gently. "Well, not completely. You were doing you're best but you just don't understand what I've been feeling. There were good reasons why you and Angel split. There weren't any when Oz and I broke up. I think Cordelia understands that better than you can."

"Will-"

"I knew you were there but for once I think Cordelia understood me better than you could. Which is pretty weird."

"It's the last thing I would ever have expected you to say." Buffy smiled at her friend, relieved.

"So, what are you and Giles planning to do for Valentine's Day?"

"I don't know. He's planning something."

"No hints?"

"He just said to keep the evening free."

The slamming of the front door and then the sound of someone hurrying up the stairs interrupted them. As Xander rushed past the open door Buffy called out to him.

"How's Anya?"

Xander paused and replied. "Now I've persuaded her she's not dying I think she'll be fine."

"It's only flu," Willow protested.

"Keep that in mind when she gets better and tries to kill you for giving it to her," Xander told the witch.

***

Buffy woke to the sound of loud purring. Something rough licked her nose. She opened her eyes and found a pair of green ones looking at her, although not the green eyes she was used to.

"Goway Gizmo, 's too early," she mumbled.

"Love, as much as I hate to disagree with you it's not," Giles said from behind her.

"Can't be morning yet."

Giles kissed her shoulder as Gizmo licked her nose again. "It is. Happy Valentine's Day love."

"You set the cat on me to wake me up?"

"No, she's hungry and you didn't latch the door properly last night."

"I'll remember tonight." Buffy began to drift off again.

She found herself flipped on her back and her husband grinning at her. "No you don't. I know your tricks. You're getting up."

"What's in it for me?"

Giles kissed her and she sighed happily.

"I like mornings," Buffy commented when he released her.

"They have they're uses," Giles agreed. He turned to his bedside table and got out a small package. Turning back to her he began, "I thought-"

He stopped when he saw Buffy turn white, then slightly grey, then finally a greenish colour and scramble out of bed.

He found her in the bathroom emptying her stomach of everything she had eaten for the last day. He knelt behind her and held her steady, reassuring her with his presence. When she calmed he grabbed a wash cloth, dampened it and wiped her face. Then he gave her a glass of water and watched anxiously as she sipped it.

"Buffy-"

"Must have caught Anya's flu. Great timing," Buffy rasped, her throat raw.

"It could be worse," Giles said philosophically.

"How? It's Valentine's Day! Our first and I'm . . . going to throw up again."

When she was sure she had stopped Giles picked her up and carried her back to their room, laying her gently on the bed and pulling the covers up to her chin. He put a hand on her forehead to check her temperature and then brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"I'm sorry," Buffy whispered tearfully.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You can't help having flu. I'll call the doctor-"

"No! I don't want a doctor. It's just flu." Buffy protested.

"I'm not-"

"No. Give it a couple of days and I'll be fine."

"If you're sure . . ."

"I am."

"Well, I'll stay with you then."

Buffy reached for his hand and kissed the palm gently. "I'll be fine. I just want to sleep. And never see food again. You go to work."

"I-"

Buffy pointed at the door sternly. "Go."

Her husband sighed and kissed her forehead. "I'll call you at lunch. Can I get dressed before I go to work?"

***

By lunch Buffy had stopped wanting to throw up every five minutes, so she was able to honestly report to Giles that she was feeling better and persuade him to stay at work. She spent the afternoon on the couch watching videos and when Willow came home they went over the notes for the lectures she had missed. It was late afternoon when she and the red-head moved to Willow's room. Buffy sat at the desk writing an essay with Gizmo perched by her books avidly watching her pen moving. Willow lay on the bed reading the spell book Giles gave her at Christmas.

"I think I've got it!" Willow exclaimed suddenly.

"Got what?" Buffy asked.

"A spell to turn Amy into a human," Willow explained excitedly. "It'll take a bit of planning, but I think it'll work."

Buffy had stopped writing and was now tapping her pen absently on her pad of paper. "That's great Will. How long will it take?"

"I should be able to try by the weekend."

"Need any help?"

"Always." Willow eyed Gizmo. "Buffy, I think-"

Her warning came too late as Gizmo wiggled her little bottom and pounced on the pen.

"I think that's her way of telling me she's hungry," Buffy said standing. "Want anything?"

Willow glanced at Button, who was asleep on her pillow. "No. We're good for now."

Buffy walked slowly down the hall, followed closely by her hungry cat. When she reached the top of the stairs her stomach lurched and she put a hand out to steady herself on the banister, willing herself not be sick. A buzzing began in her ears and her vision fogged.

"Will?" she called faintly as her vision went grey, then black.

Willow heard several thuds from the hall, and then there was silence. Worried, she rushed out and halted at the top of the stairs looking down. Buffy lay in crumpled heap at the bottom with Gizmo anxiously licking her nose.


	6. Chapter 6

Xander arrived just as the ambulance pulled up at the house. By the time he had shut off the car engine and got out the technicians were already wheeling out a gurney with the blonde Slayer on it looking pale and frail under the blankets. Willow walked beside it, also looking pale, and he rushed to her side.

"What happened? What's wrong with Buffy?" he asked, panicked.

Willow turned a tearstained face to him. "Buffy . . . she-she fell. Down the stairs. I-I couldn't wake her."

"You go with Buffy and I'll wait for Giles," Xander instructed, feeling strange at being take-charge guy for once. "I'll bring him as soon as he gets here."

He gave Willow a quick hug and she smiled gratefully at him as she climbed in the ambulance with her best friend.

Willow felt useless on the ride to the hospital. Her best friend was injured and all she could do was watch and hope she came round. The worst part was the nagging worry that this was not right. Buffy was the Slayer - she shouldn't be seriously injured from a short fall down some stairs. She shouldn't have fallen down them in the first place. The only times Willow could remember her falling down stairs Buffy had had help, usually of a supernatural variety.

As the ambulance drew up in front of the hospital Buffy stirred and moaned softly. Willow grabbed her hand, trying to reassure her, and said softly, "It's ok. We're at the hospital. You're ok. Giles is on his way."

Then the technicians were pushing her out and wheeling the gurney through the double doors of the emergency room leaving Willow standing alone beside the vehicle. She rushed to follow them in but a nurse stopped her at the doors of the room where they were working on the Slayer and led her to the reception desk. There were forms to be filled in and contact numbers to give so it was a few minutes before she realised that no one had thought to let Mrs Summers know what was happening.

The phone call was short but Willow almost felt as though she heard the blood rush from the older woman's face and she hoped there were no policemen out patrolling tonight who would try to stop Mrs Summers. Then all that she could do was sit in the waiting area and worry.

It seemed like hours later but it could only have been a few minutes when Giles rushed into reception followed closely by Xander and Anya. Catching sight of Willow he almost ran over to her.

"Where's Buffy? Have they said anything?" His face was pale and his eyes wild with fear.

Tearfully Willow said, "I don't know. They won't tell me anything."

Joyce arrived as Willow finished and went straight over to the reception desk. "Where's my daughter? She was brought in by ambulance. Her name's Buffy Summers."

The lady at the desk looked at her computer and shook her head. "We don't have a Buffy Summers here. Are you sure it's this hospital?"

"Of course I'm sure! Willow-"

She finally noticed the small gathering in the chairs nearby and hurried over to them.

"Willow, what's going on. Is Buffy here? Is she alright?"

Willow had seen the problems Joyce was having and said, "I registered her as Buffy Giles 'cos that's, uh, her name now. You know, being married to Giles-"

"What happened to Buffy?" Joyce insisted.

"I don't know. She-she fell down the stairs," Willow replied.

"I know about the Slaying. You don't have to hide it."

"I'm not. She fell down the stairs." Willow explained as much as she knew.

Joyce and Giles both tried to get information out of the receptionist but the poor woman knew no more than they did. So they were all left to sit in the waiting area, worrying collectively. Finally a doctor emerged from a room and walked towards the group stopping in front of Giles and Joyce.

"I'm Doctor Avery. Are you Buffy Giles' parents?" he asked.

Giles' eyes narrowed but he simply replied, "I'm her husband and this is her mother. How is she?"

The doctor looked at him curiously but this did explain a few things. "Your wife will be fine. I think she's been asking for you, if your name is Rupert. Would you like to follow me?"

Giles smiled reassuring at the rest of the Gang and walked in the direction the doctor indicated, but when Joyce began to follow Avery turned to her.

"Mrs?"

"Summers. Joyce."

"Mrs Summers, it would be best if you waited here. I need to talk to Mr Giles first. I'm sure you'll be able to see your daughter soon."

Joyce glared at Giles but sat down next to Willow again.

Outside the door to Buffy's room Avery stopped. "Has your wife been ill lately? Maybe having bouts of nausea or fainting?"

"Until today she's just been extremely tired." Giles replied getting worried again. "She's been under a lot of stress lately. This morning we thought she was coming down with the flu. All her friends have had it. Is something wrong?"

Avery made a non-committal grunt and opened the door. As soon as Buffy saw Giles her eyes lit up and her smile seemed to flood the room with joy. That was all it took for Avery to realise that he was dealing with an extraordinary couple and more importantly a couple deeply in love. Giles crossed the room in several long strides and carefully pulled Buffy into his arms. For a long moment they simply clung to each other. Then he pulled back to examine her. There was a large bruise on her temple, there were dark circles under eyes, one wrist was swathed in bandages and she was attached to a drip. It was the most wonderful thing he had seen all day. She was still with him.

Avery cleared his throat. "Buffy."

Reluctantly Giles stood up, although he kept possession of her hand. "Doctor Avery, what's wrong with me? I fainted! I never faint. Well, except for one time and then I had flu."

"How has your health been lately? I understand you were sick this morning. Was that the first time?"

Buffy flushed guiltily. "Nearly."

"You've been ill and haven't told me?" Giles exclaimed.

"I didn't want to worry you. And it's only been once . . . a couple . . . a few times."

"I know you must be very concerned," Avery interrupted. "But I have good news. Buffy isn't ill."

"I'm not?"

"You've never been healthier. Buffy, you're pregnant."

Shock reigned.

"But-but . . . how . . . wh- . . . I can't be pregnant!"

Avery hid a smile at her outrage look. "Then you and Mr Giles haven't-?"

Buffy blushed at his implications. "Y-yes but we've been careful."

"Love, i-if I recall w-we weren't very careful on our h-honeymoon," Giles stuttered, blushing also at discussing this in front of the doctor.

"Oh yeah. The . . . honeymoon. How far am I?"

"I'd say about two months," Avery replied.

"Right time then," Buffy concluded. "I'm pregnant. I'm gonna - **we're** gonna have a baby."

Giles was - well, gobsmacked was the only word that came to his mind. She was going to have a baby. His baby. The thought made him want to sing and shout from the rooftops, but at the same time he was filled with dread. The joy beginning to dawn on her face allowed him to put the dread into a quiet corner of his mind for a while though.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

She knew immediately what he was asking. Not 'are you sure it was then?' or 'are you sure it's mine?' but 'are you sure you want this?' Buffy knew her answer immediately. Nothing was going to stop her having this baby. She drew his hand to her lips and kissed the knuckles.

Avery looked at the couple in amazement. They barely spoke yet it seemed as though they were communicating without words. At first he had not been sure what their relationship could be, despite their apparent marriage. They seemed to be total opposites - she was tiny while he was tall, she was young and American while he was the epitome of older, stuffy Brit. But in that moment of communication he could see that on some level they were two halves of the same soul. For a long moment he wished he could follow them through to see what made their relationship so special, and he felt a twinge of envy too.

Then Buffy was looking at him, her hazel eyes wide with worry. "The baby is alright, isn't it? I didn't hurt it?"

"Your baby is fine," Avery quickly reassured. "It's as tough its mother apparently."

"I guess this would explain the sickness and tiredness," Buffy grinned at him. "But why did I faint?"

"You were sick this morning?" Buffy nodded. "And you haven't eaten much today?" Buffy nodded again. "Well at this stage the baby needs energy and nutrients, and it will take them even if you don't have them to spare. You don't need to eat for two quite yet but you need to eat for one. Try to eat something even if you don't want to."

Giles kissed the hand he held and said, "I'll make sure she does."

"I know you will," Avery replied. "Now, I believe you have a herd of people waiting outside for you. Do you want to see them?"

Buffy nodded eagerly and he left the room. When he had shut the door behind him Giles sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you sure about this? You're still so young-"

"Rupert, I may never get another chance. I want this baby. I want your baby."

Perversely the words sent a surge of masculine pride through Giles, but he firmly squashed it. "Buffy I-"

"When we decided to make this marriage work I said that only reason we shouldn't was if you didn't want me. The only reason I can see for not having this baby is if you don't want it. Do you?"

Giles reached out and placed a hand over her still flat stomach. "With all my heart."

"Good." Buffy grinned at him. "Do you wanna tell the others now? I mean, they'll start to notice when I'm the size of a small elephant and this seems like as good a time as any."

The Gang took the news well. Anya was confused, but Willow knew how much Buffy wanted a baby and Xander trusted in her happy expression. Joyce was a different matter.

"How could you do this to her?" she raged at Giles. "She's too young for a baby! She's too young to married at all!"

"Mom, it takes two to make a baby. If you wanna blame someone don't just blame him."

"Buffy, honey, what about college, and your friends, and the Slaying? How can you cope with a baby as well?"

"Her friends are right behind her," Xander retorted. "We'll help her. I'm not going to be in the delivery room, but we'll be there in every way we can be. That's what family does."

Willow and Anya nodded their agreement. 'That's what family should do' was unspoken but they all knew that was what Xander meant.

***

The argument continued until a nurse, curious about the noise, looked in and shooed everyone out apart from Giles. He and Buffy had been sitting quietly, not entering the argument, and still feeling overwhelmed by their news. Buffy smiled gratefully at the nurse.

A little while later Buffy was taken up to a ward for the night where Giles sat by her until she fell asleep. 

*** 

It was still dark when Willow woke. The house was quiet and even Amy-rat was asleep in her cage. Feeling thirsty she got out of bed and pulled on her robe.

As she walked past the basement door with her glass of water she noticed light spilling from beneath the door. Gizmo and Button bounded up to her, but while Button mewed and beckoned for a cuddle Gizmo began to scrabble under the door. Willow scooped up Button and opened the door. Gizmo immediately scampered through and down the steps. She tumbled down the last two but landed on her feet and scurried across the floor to the table were Giles sat reading. Imperiously she demanded to be picked up and Giles absently complied, placing her on the table so he could stroke her as he read.

As soon as she saw him Willow knew something was wrong. He looked terrible, there were books and papers strewn across the table and a half-empty pot of coffee stood on the counter behind him. Obviously he had not been to bed yet and had no intention of going. He had been quiet all evening and Willow had assumed he was simply struggling to come to terms with events, but what if it was something more?

Giles did not notice as she walked towards him and stopped by the table. "Hey," Willow greeted quietly. 

He just managed not to jump at the sudden intrusion. "W-Willow. I didn't hear you. What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"I-I have work to do," Giles lied, not very convincingly.

"At three in the morning?" 

"It's, uh, important-"

"It's to do with Buffy, isn't it? That's why you're looking so worried. Anything else and you'd be it leaving until morning. Something bad is happening and its got something to do with Buffy. What is it?"

"Willow, I-"

"Uh-uh. You're not getting out of this. Xander called us a family today and that's what we are. Families share their problems, so spill."

"Willow-" 

She put on her most impressive resolve face. 

Giles sighed and gave in. 

"No Slayer has ever survived a pregnancy," he announced sadly.


	7. Chapter 7

"No Slayer has ever survived pregnancy."

The words seemed to echo around the room. Willow did not know what to think. She had been prepared for the world ending, huge demons rising without a Slayer to defeat them - anything apart from this. Her knees began to shake as the meaning of his words sunk in and she sat down suddenly, missing the chair behind her. The shock of landing on the hard floor startled them both out of their stunned thoughts and Giles immediately moved to help her up. Even the kittens seemed to realise something was wrong. Button jumped up into Willow's lap and began to chew her robe as he purred to comfort her. Gizmo just looked at Giles, managing to convey worry even though she could not know what was wrong with her mistress.

Eventually Willow broke the silence. "A-are you sure? I mean, how many pregnant Slayers can there have been? And how do you know they all died?"

"It was mentioned during my training several times," Giles replied. "Slayers may not live long, and Buffy is one of the oldest, but until a hundred years ago or so it was not uncommon for girls as young as fourteen or fifteen to be considered old enough to marry and have children. Usually Slayers don't marry, but they have been known to have . . . l-lovers or even relationships with their Watchers."

"And they got pregnant," Willow finished. "But what happened?"

"They all died or disappeared before the child was born," Giles told her heavily. 

"Oh."

There was silence as Willow tried to think of something to say. 

"What are you doing?" she asked finally, indicating the books and papers strewn over the table. 

A light of hope began to shine in his eyes. "I'm going through the relevant Watcher's diaries, trying to find some hint as to why all those Slayers died."

"And?"

"Four died in the late stages of pregnancy because they grew too clumsy to defend themselves. Their Watchers tried to stop them patrolling but . . ."

"If they were like Buffy then that would have been pointless."

"Exactly. But they're not who I'm interested in. Four Slayers died before their movements were being affected by the pregnancy and their Watchers reported that they were suspicious about the deaths."

Willow began to have a vague idea as to where Giles was going. "Suspicious how?"

"They were being followed during the weeks before the deaths. One Watcher, John Franklin, in 1866 even stated that he feared the Council would 'do something' if they found out about the child."

"And yet he recorded it."

Giles looked offended. "Of course."

"Not the most logical step."

"No one would look in the diary unless the Watcher left his post for some reason so it was perfectly safe and would hopefully provide a future reference."

"Ah." Willow thought for a moment. "What happened to the Slayers that disappeared?"

"That's what I'm trying find out."

Willow stood, put Button on her chair, and walked to the door. 

"Where are you going?" Giles called after her. 

"I'm waking Xander and rallying the troops."

***

They researched all night and into the morning. On one level the research was promising but as they put it together a disturbing picture began to unfold. Eventually Giles straightened from the notes he had been writing and looked around the table. Gizmo and Button were asleep and the humans were not much better.

"You should all get to bed," he instructed. 

"I'm awake," Xander insisted. "I'm just studying my eyelids."

"I appreciate your efforts but I have to go to the hospital soon and you'll be of more use awake and refreshed."

"When you put it that way . . ." Xander muttered and began to stumble up the stairs. 

***

Buffy was on a ward with several other pregnant women, although she was the only one not showing. By the time Giles arrived she dressed and sitting on her bed trying not to look impatient. As soon as she saw him she sprang up with a happy grin.

"Hi Dad-to-be," she whispered as she hugged him. 

He gave her a quick, hard kiss and released her. "Hello."

"Honey, if this is your hunk'o'love I can see why you're pregnant," an older woman in the bed next bed said with a lascivious grin. "Sure you don't wanna swap?"

Giles and Buffy both blushed but the blonde girl grinned back at the woman. "And have your Sam mad at me? Uh-uh. He's mine."

"Shame," the woman sighed theatrically. "Sugar, you and me could have had some fun."

Giles blushed even more ferociously. The woman was in her mid-thirties and quite pretty but she spoke with the brash accent of a New Yorker and seemed determined to embarrass him.

"Wanda, stop it. You're embarrassing him," Buffy ordered, but the cheeky grin she shot him said she was enjoying it as much as the older woman was.

"Are ya sure he was a librarian?" Wanda asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Very."

"I guess you would know best."

Giles decided he had allowed the women enough fun at his expense. "When you've quite finished . . .?" he queried. 

Buffy smiled at him and said, "Party pooper."

She walked over to Wanda's bed and hugged her. "Take care," she ordered. 

"'Course I will," Wanda responded with a grin. "Not much chance I'll be able to do anything else in here."

"Well then, good luck."

"Honey, I think you need the luck. Don't fall down anymore stairs, ya hear?"

"I hear."

Wanda looked at Giles with a serious expression. "You take care of her, sugar. She's not a strong as she looks."

Giles smiled back at her, slightly amazed that the brash woman could be so perceptive. "I know. Are you ready, love?"

"Yeah. Take me home."

***

It took a few minutes to finish all the discharge procedures. The doctor treating Buffy was amazed by her rapid recovery but saw no reason to keep her. She ordered Giles to take his wife home, put her to bed for a couple of days and make her take her vitamins. Buffy grimaced at the orders but said nothing. She made an appointment for a check-up and almost ran from the hospital when she was allowed to leave.

When they reached the car, before Giles could turn on the engine, Buffy turned to him. 

"What's wrong Rupert?"

"W-wrong?" Giles asked, hoping she had not noticed how worried he was. 

"Rupert, you look like you haven't been to bed yet." Giles winced. "I was right! You've been up all night and now you're acting jumpy. Something is up."

This was one of those moments when Giles wished Buffy did not know him so well. "We'll talk when we get home."

"Now you're really worrying me." She took his hand. "Just tell me what's wrong. It . . . you do want this baby, don't you?"

Awkwardly in the cramped car Giles pulled her to him in a tight hug. "Of course."

"Good. So if it's not that, why won't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry if I frightened you but it really would be better to talk at home."

Buffy sighed in defeat and sat back in her seat. "Ok."

***

Buffy was edgy, and felt more jumpy the closer the got to home. She could tell something was very badly wrong and if Giles was reluctant to tell her what it was then she was not going to like it. As they went she watched him out of the corner of her eye and worried. He looked rumpled, his eyes were bloodshot and he repeatedly ran his hand through his hair. As the house came into view she breathed a sigh of relief. That was short-lived however. Giles led her down to the Basement where she found Willow and Xander bent over books, both of them also looking short on sleep.

"Ok, now I'm scared," Buffy commented. 

Willow looked up and smiled. It was a little strained but it was a smile. 

"Buffy, hi! How are you feeling? How's the baby?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. 

Xander stood wearily and hugged her. "Hi. You look better."

"I feel better. What's going on?"

Xander and Willow turned to Giles. 

***

Buffy took the news of previous Slayers' early death quite well. She paled slightly, and Giles could see her gripping the arms of her chair tightly, but there were no hysterics as she calmly asked what they had found out about the Slayers that disappeared.

Willow, Xander and Giles all looked at each other but it was the older man who spoke. "We think many of them went into hiding."

The Slayer looked at them in disbelief. "Hiding? Why?"

There was not a great deal Giles could tell her. "In several cases, seven so far, the new Slayer was not found for several months after the previous one disappeared. They could have been missed and not found as soon as they were called, as you were, but it happened too many times to be coincidence. The time gap is large enough that they could have given birth and lived for months afterwards. They all died eventually but I don't think it was a result of the pregnancy. Two of those Slayers disappeared with their Watchers, and they hinted that they were the fathers of those babies."

"So what you're saying is that something killed several pregnant Slayers and forced several more into hiding."

"That's about the size of it," Willow said sadly. 

"That means there's something or someone out there that does not want Slayers to have children," Buffy reasoned. "And it's been around for a long time."


	8. Chapter 8

"How are you feeling Buffy?" Willow asked.

"Surprisingly not much different to how I felt five minutes ago," Buffy told her friend. 

In the days since she had found out she was pregnant everyone had been very kind, very solicitous and most of all, very annoying. She could not lift more than a scrap of paper without someone offering to help her. Patrolling had been firmly vetoed, and the expression in Giles' eyes when he told her that made it clear he was not going to be persuaded otherwise. There seemed to be someone checking on her health every ten minutes and Buffy was feeling stifled. Today was Saturday, and usually Buffy enjoyed sleeping in. But she was feeling restless and full of energy and Giles had told her to stay in bed for the morning, which only made her feel more restless. If he had stayed with her she would not have minded - there were plenty of fun things to do on a Saturday morning in bed with her husband. But he was downstairs cleaning, leaving Willow to check on her regularly. Buffy was ready to scream. It was her first sickness-free morning for a week, and Giles seemed to think she would break if he touched her!

"Will, sit. Talk to me," Buffy demanded. 

"You're meant to be sleeping," Willow protested. 

"I've slept so much this week I'm about to bounce off the walls!" 

"But-but . . . you need your rest."

"I'm not dying. I don't have a deadly disease. I'm just a tiny bit pregnant."

Willow grinned at her. "You're going to get a lot more pregnant." 

"Don't remind me. At the moment it's nice. I know I'm pregnant, I feel pregnant sometimes but I can still wear most of my clothes. In a few months I'm gonna look like a whale."

"I hope you've learnt your lesson about safe sex," Willow told her mock severely. 

"I'm going to be lucky if I get any sex ever again," Buffy said glumly. 

"Huh?" 

The Slayer gave an exasperated sigh. "Rupert is scared to even hold my hand in case he hurts the baby. You'd think that being knowledge guy he'd be rational about this but he's not."

"This is the first time you've been pregnant. He's just a bit spooked. He'll calm down." 

"And that thought is meant to comfort me for the next seven months?" Buffy sighed again. "I never thought I'd be like this. With Angel there was no problem. I knew we couldn't, uh, you know," Buffy blushed, "but with Rupert . . ."

Buffy trailed off dreamily and Willow put her hands over her ears. "I don't want to know the details." 

"Relax Will. There are certain things a wife can't tell her friends." 

"Phew." Willow uncovered her ears. "If it's that bad just tell him how you feel. You know it makes sense."

"I know. I'm just being an irrational, nympho female. Pregnancy does that to me." 

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Willow asked excitedly. 

"I've known about the baby for five days. It's a bit early to be thinking about names." 

"Oh, yeah," the witch grinned. "I keep forgetting that." 

"Has Rupert mentioned anything about his research?" Buffy asked, too casually. 

Willow winced. 

"He has, hasn't he? He's keeping me so sheltered I might as well not have a mind. I'm the one in danger and-" 

"Why don't you talk to him about it, please? I don't like getting caught in the middle." 

The Slayer took a couple of calming breaths. "You're right. I have to talk to him." 

"Good." Willow said, relieved. 

"Now, when are we de-ratting Amy?" 

Willow winced again. "D-de-ratting A-Amy? We? Oh no. Uh-uh. Giles would kill me if I let you-" 

"Please," Buffy pleaded. "I mean, what am I actually going to have to do? Hold a candle, maybe scatter a few herbs . . . nothing dangerous, right?"

"Well . . ." 

"We could do it this afternoon," Buffy pressed. 

"I don't . . ." 

"You don't want Amy to stay ratty longer than she has to." 

"I'll ask Giles-" 

"Yay!" 

*** 

Persuading Giles and Xander proved to be the hardest part of the entire spell. They both had to talk very fast, and make a lot of promises about Buffy's safety, before the men would even consider it. Even Anya helped them, in her own way, and finally Buffy produced her trump card by reminding Giles that if Amy had not helped them the she could still be a rat as well.

"Just be careful," he pleaded. 

"I'll be fine," she reassured him, kissing his mouth quickly. 

"Willow if anything should happen . . ." 

The witch took careful note of the warning glare Giles gave her. "Nothing bad will happen."

"I'll be there all the time and if anything seems even the slightest bit dangerous for the baby I'm taking you out." 

Buffy took a step back, crossed her arms and glared at him. "You and Xander are not going to be in the room." 

"But-" 

"No buts. You aren't going to be ogling any naked females apart from me." 

"Naked?" Xander croaked.

Anya immediately elbowed him the chest.

"P-p-perhaps I-I was a l-l-little hasty. I-I'll wait outside," Giles stuttered, blushing violently.

***

"So mote it be," Willow finished the chant.

She crossed her fingers and settled to wait, smiling faintly as she saw Buffy do the same. All that the blonde Slayer had actually needed to do was wave some burning herbs over Amy, which was definitely not dangerous. Willow hoped she could be somewhere a long way away when Buffy and Giles finally had their talk. It promised to be a loud one.

After a couple of minutes Willow's face fell. "I guess this was another dud-"

A sudden, brilliant flash of white light cut her off. When their eyes cleared they sat in stunned amazement for a moment.

"Amy, you're-"

"Human!" Willow cut Buffy off.

"What happened?" Amy asked dazedly.

"You turned yourself into a rat so you wouldn't be burnt at the stake and then I couldn't work out how to turn you back so you've been a rat for the past year and now we've turned you back and you're human again and you're sitting in my bedroom and I'll get you some clothes."

Willow ran out of breath at that point and sat gasping, waiting see what Amy would say.

"I-I was a rat?" Amy managed after a moment.

"Complete with tail," Buffy confirmed. 

"Wow." Amy paused. "Everything's really fuzzy at the moment."

"You won't remember much," Buffy told her. "All I could remember was wanting cheese."

Willow handed Amy a robe and the former rat smiled her thanks as she put it on. "How much have I missed?"

The Slayer and the red head exchanged a glance. 

*** 

Several hours later everyone was gathered in the lounge waiting for Amy's reaction to their account of the past year. Willow sat on the couch next to her, while Xander and Anya shared one of the large armchairs and Giles sat in his chair with Buffy perched on the arm next to him.

"Wow. I really missed a lot," Amy commented eventually, looking around her with wide eyes. 

This whole situation was weird beyond belief. One moment she was at school being persecuted for being a witch, the next she found herself in a strange room with a huge blank spot where there should be a year of life. And apparently that year had been spent playing in a Habitrail. Even more bizarrely Buffy was apparently married to and pregnant by Mr Giles, who was no longer a librarian because he helped to blow the library up along with the rest of the school, the Anya girl was a former vengeance demon who was in love with Xander of all people and Cordelia was broke. Life really could be stranger than Jerry Springer. The whole Ascension, school-exploding thing was actually the least strange of it all, which was just a little frightening. She was not sure whether she wanted to laugh or faint.

Buffy shifted uncomfortably on her perch and Giles immediately fussed around her until she was seated in an armchair with a stool under her feet. Amy wondered at the annoyed expression on the girl's face as her well-meaning husband made sure she was comfortable and then sat back in his chair. Something was nagging at the witch's memory but try as she might she could not remember it, although she could not shake the feeling that it was incredibly important.

"I don't know about anyone else but I'm hungry," Xander announced. 

Amy had to grin at that. No matter what was happening Xander could never forget his stomach. 

"I haven't got anything planned," Willow said. "I know it was my turn and all but . . . I got kind of side tracked."

"We could order pizza," Xander said hopefully. 

Buffy's face lit up. "Pizza? Cool. I've been craving it all day."

"I though pregnant women always got cravings for gherkins and ice cream," Anya commented. 

"Only really sadistic ones," the Slayer responded. "I intend to only crave yummy food."

Giles' expression was stern. "Buffy, love, pizza is hardly a nutritious meal for the baby."

It was the final straw. "According to you nothing I like is good for the baby! You've made me rest so much I'm bouncing off the walls. I don't want to eat rabbit food or give up training. Everything I want to do now is too dangerous. Well listen up, because I want pizza and I want sex and if you don't give them to me I'll . . . I'll . . . I'll . . . get them myself!"

"I fancy collecting the pizza," Xander said rising quickly. "Anyone want to help me?"

Willow quickly stood up, pulling Amy with her. "We will."

Anya did not move, instead watching Buffy and Giles with rapt attention. "No, this looks much more interesting."

"Anya," Xander warned. "We really aren't needed here."

Anya scowled at him. 

"Y-yes, please go away," Giles managed, his face still red with embarrassment. 

"Oh, if I have to," Anya said without grace.


	9. Chapter 9

When the others were safely out of the way Buffy turned to her startled husband. 

"Well?" she demanded. 

"P-pardon?" 

"Are you going to explain to me what this is all about? Have I suddenly turned into the Loch Ness monster, or a china doll or something? Because I still feel like the same person I was a couple of weeks ago."

"Buffy, I'm not sure what you're asking-" 

Buffy threw her hands up and began to pace angrily. "That's the problem! In the space of a week you've turned from being the most sensitive, loving, wonderful man I've ever known into an over-protective, insensitive, frightened . . . man! Rupert, I'm not dying. If you touch me I won't break. Melt maybe, but not break. If I cross the road you don't need to hold my hand. I need a partner, not another father."

Giles was silent for a moment as he thought. "Love, I didn't realise I was doing that. I love you and I just wanted to take care of you."

Buffy moved to stand by his chair and took his hand in hers. "I know you want to take care of me, but there's taking care and there's wrapping in cotton wool. I'm a big girl - you're smothering me with care and forgetting I'm your wife."

"I never forget you're my wife," Giles protested. 

"Could've fooled me. A guy usually like to, uh, do stuff with his wife." Buffy paused as a thought occurred to her. "Unless you don't want me anymore. I mean, I'm gonna get fat and ugly and-"

"You'll never be ugly to me," he reassured her. "You're the most beautiful woman I have ever met and I love you." 

"Then what's with the sudden 'look but don't touch' thing?" 

Silently Giles tugged on her hand and guided her to sit on his lap. He put his other hand behind her head and drew her down so he could gently kiss her lips. Buffy's breath whooshed out of her and she felt his lips curving in a smile beneath hers. The kiss only lasted a few moments but they were both breathing heavily when he drew back.

Giles began twisting a strand of her hair, occasionally brushing her cheek with his thumb as he spoke. "If I even loose you I don't know what I'd do. How could I go on without you?"

"Don't-" 

He put his thumb over her lips to silence her. "It could happen. You know the danger you're in and it frightens me," he admitted. "I'm sorry if I smothered you but I was trying to protect you."

"I know you want to protect me, but there are other ways. Making me take a nap every time I yawn and stopping me even exercising, let alone training, is not the way."

"Buffy, if you did anything to hurt the baby, even accidentally, I know you would never forgive yourself. I was trying to protect both of you."

Buffy looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity mixed with the love and fear. "That's sweet, thank you. But please, stop it. Let me decide what is dangerous and what isn't. Doing some exercise or eating the occasional pizza won't hurt the baby or me. And for the rest, I'm as scared as you are but if we let whoever it is stop us living they'll have won without even killing me."

"I am so proud of you, love," he said, his eyes shining. 

"Proud? Of little old me? I haven't done anything to be proud of, other than throwing a tantrum over nothing." 

"You haven't let any of this frighten you, unlike your stupid husband." 

"You're not stupid. You're the smartest man I know and I happen to be very frightened. But I also know that I may not have a long life - don't argue - and I want to enjoy it while I can."

Looking into her eyes Giles could only see the love and trust she had in him which was overwhelming. Not trusting himself to speak he drew her down for another kiss which he felt to the depths of his soul. This time Buffy was prepared and she responded eagerly. After a while Giles felt a small hand trailing down his chest and stopping on his belt buckle.

"What are you doing?" he inquired when she began kissing down his jaw. 

"Enjoying my life," she replied, and gently nipped his neck. 

"But-" 

"No. Don't. It won't hurt the baby and I'm not stopping." 

"I was about to point out that the others will be back with the pizza soon," he said, restraining a gasp as she nuzzled the open collar of his shirt.

"They won't be back for ages, Willow will make sure of that." 

"Willow? You've been telling Willow about-" 

"Who else was I going to talk to? I can really see Xander - or better yet mom - reacting well to complaints about my love life, or lack thereof." Buffy paused. "You're having a bad effect on my vocabulary. I didn't tell Will much, just about you acting all protective. They won't be back until they're sure we've stopped arguing."

"We weren't arguing." 

"Having a difference of opinion, which is now resolved. It is resolved, isn't it?" 

For an answer Giles stood up and swept her into his arms. 

"It is," he said as he carried her upstairs. 

*** 

"Love, what did you mean earlier?" Giles asked. 

They were lying in their bed, comfortably tangled together and feeling very satisfied. Buffy was tracing patterns on his chest, which was ever so slightly distracting, and Giles was just enjoying holding her close.

"Hmmm?" Buffy asked lazily, still drawing on her husband's chest and fascinated by the muscles that flinched whenever she reached a sensitive bit.

Giles smiled slightly at the contented sound. "Earlier, when you lost your temper-"

"I did not lose my temper." Buffy interrupted. 

"All right, when you exhibited such marvellous control over your temper-" 

"Now you're making fun of me."

He glared at her. 

"Sorry, quiet now." 

"I'll believe that when I hear it," he said under his breath, and smiled as she pouted at him. "What did you mean 'you'll get them yourself'?"

He looked down and smiled as Buffy's face reddened. "I don't really know," she confessed. "The pizza would have been easy but the other part . . . I could have . . . or . . . ok, I'm drawing a blank on ideas that would not have completely embarrassing or utterly icky. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment things that now look pretty silly. But it got your attention."

"That it did," Giles said smiling at her. "As well as everyone else in the room."

Buffy raised her head and grinned at him unrepentantly. "Do you promise not to worry me like that again? Otherwise I might have to . . ."

"I promise," he said quickly.

"Good."

Buffy sighed happily and went back to exploring her husband's chest. After a moment she felt him tense and smiled.

"B-Buffy, what are you doing?" Giles stuttered.

"I thought that was obvious."

"How long have the others been gone?"

"I'm not sure. I sort of lost track. But I'm sure they won't be back for age-"

The front door slammed shut downstairs.

"-es, unless they come back now of course."

The blonde Slayer pouted and grimaced.

"I thought you were hungry," Giles reminded her.

Buffy thought about it and realised that the yawning emptiness around her middle was not going away. "True. But we need a shower and it will be much quicker if we share. Then I'll eat."

She climbed out of bed and put on her robe, throwing Giles' at him before scampering down the hall the bathroom. As he followed slightly more slowly Giles had to wonder exactly how much faster his eager wife thought this would be.

***

Life settled down again for the next few days. The gang dug through books in their spare time, trying to find some hint as to what had happened to the pregnant Slayers, and Amy slowly began to catch up on the last year. Due to her disappearance she had not graduated from high school so she began looking for jobs so that she could try to work and study in the evenings. She even made contact with her father but they decided that her adjustment would be easier if she stayed with people who dealt with the supernatural every day. So Amy moved in to share Willow's room and the house added yet another member to its growing family.

"I didn't hear any early morning dashes for the bathroom today," Willow remarked as she and Buffy walked home from classes.

The Slayer grinned at her. "Today marks my first sickness free morning. I'm hoping this is the first of many."

"Not to rain on your parade, but morning sickness usually carries on until at least the third month."

"Do you have to bring science into this? I was just hoping . . ."

"And I was just warning, so you don't get disappointed tomorrow morning," Willow said. "But you are the Slayer, so maybe things operate differently."

"There's a thought," Buffy said, brightening slightly. They rounded the corner on their street and Buffy was surprised to see a dark blue sedan car sitting on their drive. "Will, do you know anyone with a car like that?" she asked, pointing.

"Maybe it's a friend of Giles'," Willow said uncertainly.

"He would have told me if he was expecting someone."

"Someone from the university?"

"Why would he bring them here rather than his office? The house isn't exactly the quietest place, and he'd never invite someone into the basement."

"Unexpected guest?"

"I have a bad feeling. Unexpected guests in Sunnydale usually equal trouble."

Buffy began to jog down the street and Willow picked up her pace to keep up, reflecting as she went that unfortunately her friend was right. Nobody good ever just dropped by here. They usually wanted to destroy the world or kill them all.

Reaching the door Buffy paused and listened. The house felt too silent. Normally there was some kind of noise, be it the radio, TV or just someone talking. But there was nothing. It was almost as though the building was waiting for something - or someone. Willow trotted up behind Buffy and she motioned the redheaded girl to duck down and hide behind one of the bushes near the door. As silently as she could the Slayer opened the door, stake in hand and slipped inside.

The hall was empty and she could still hear no noise. Xander was usually home at this hour, watching cartoons, so the silence was unnatural and sent a shiver of fear through Buffy. What if the creature that apparently stalked pregnant Slayers was here? What if something had happened to her friends - or, God forbid, Giles?

There was no light under the door to the basement so no one was down there. Buffy momentarily debated between the kitchen and the living room and decided on the latter. As she approached the living room door she heard a slight sound behind it and immediately tensed even more. Creeping closer she put her ear against the door but could hear nothing.

In a situation like this the element of surprise is one of the aspects that can make the difference between life and death. Buffy knew that the intruder already knew she was somewhere in the house but that did not mean she could not do the unexpected. She drew back, raised her stake and kicked the door open, wincing slightly at the sound of splintering wood.

There was barely time to register that Giles stood with his back to her, facing two strangers, before a solemn British voice intoned, "By the power invested in me by the Watcher's Council of Great Britain I am hereby authorised to take you into custody. You will be transported to England at the nearest opportunity for rehabilitation."


	10. Chapter 10

"What?" Buffy asked incredulously.

A short man in a tweed suit cleared his throat and began again, "I am authorised by the-"

"I got that bit. This was more an 'I can't believe you' what. As in - I can't believe you honestly think I'd leave the man I love and the family I'm happy in to go to England with a group of people who have so far only caused me pain and misery."

"I assure you Miss Summers we are only trying to do what is best. You are the only active Slayer and as such the Council felt it would be best if you underwent some rehabilitation and extra training."

Short Tweed, as Buffy privately dubbed him, straightened his back and tugged down on his jacket nervously. She could almost feel the tension radiating from Giles and she guessed that her husband was probably giving the Watcher his best 'Ripper' glare.

"What sort of 'rehabilitation' are you planning? Because I don't think brain washing will work on me."

Short Tweed adjusted his tie and tugged on his jacket again. "We simply feel that you would benefit from some time with people trained to deal with your unique situation. As the Slayer the fate of the world frequently rests on you and the Council has decided that you need proper preparation for this task."

"You don't think I'm doing my job properly? I've saved this world more times than you've sneezed so I don't think I need 'rehabilitation', thank you. I need you to let me get on with my life."

"If you were doing your job properly you would not be pregnant and relying on your friends to guard the Hellmouth," Short Tweed shot back.

For a moment Buffy was shocked speechless. "How did you know about that?" she eventually asked quietly.

"The Council makes a point of keeping ourselves aware of your progress. Despite what you may have thought, your pregnancy has not escaped our attention," Short Tweed informed her.

"You were spying on me?"

"In a manner of speaking . . . yes."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Buffy muttered.

"I'm sure you can now understand why we feel you are in need of help. Your former . . . Watcher," Short Tweed said the word as though it left a bad taste in his mouth, "has obviously taken advantage of his position of trust and we must seek to undo the damage before it can manifest itself in an even more dangerous form."

At his words Buffy had felt Giles tense even further beside her, although he still said nothing, and it was a wonder Short Tweed had any limbs left. The way the Slayer could feel her husband's hands clenching and unclenching left her in no doubt that he dearly wished he could take some of that tension out on Short Tweed. She wondered what was stopping him. _Unless he's trying to give me a chance to hear them out. It's almost sweet. He's willing to give me up if he feels it would be better for me. He's also completely insane if he thinks anything would ever make me give him up._ Aloud Buffy asked, "What will happen to my baby if I go back with you?"

Short Tweed looked uncomfortable and fiddled with his tie again. "Naturally your pregnancy would have to be terminated. It's unfortunate but a pregnant Slayer cannot hope to successfully battle the forces of evil."

At his words Buffy felt a cold burning rage begin to flow through her. "It's more than unfortunate - it's unthinkable. I won't give up my baby. I won't give up my husband. I won't leave my family. So you can stuff your 'rehabilitation'. I'm not going."

"B-But this is unheard of!" Short Tweed spluttered. "The Watcher's Council has-"

"I don't care what the Watcher's Council wants! I'm a free person and I have the right to choose how I live my life! And I choose to live it here, with my family. So you can go back to England and tell your bosses that I don't want to know about them."

At her words Buffy felt all the tension flow out of Giles and she smiled slightly as she watched the short Watcher slowly turn an odd shade of puce. "Y-you can't do this!" he eventually managed to choke out.

"I can and I have," the blonde Slayer said with a note of finality in her voice.

As Short Tweed continued to splutter and turn interesting colours Giles finally added his voice, "I believe my wife has said all that needs to be said on this matter. You will leave this house and I promise to personally pummel anyone else who interferes further with us."

Short Tweed suddenly turned white and Buffy sensed people edging through the door behind her.

"That goes for me too," she heard Xander say behind her.

"And me," Willow said.

"Count me in," Amy added.

Buffy heard a hissing noise coming from the floor and looked down to see Gizmo standing between her and the Watcher. She was crouching low with her ears drawn back and a line of fur down her back standing on end. As Buffy looked an ugly growling sound issued from the little kitten, followed by a hiss. She could almost hear the little patchwork cat saying, "you'll have to come through me, too".

They must have painted a formidable picture because Short Tweed involuntarily took a step back. That step was enough to reveal the person sitting in an armchair who had previously been hidden from Buffy. Quentin Travers.

He stood and looked at them for a while, his grey eyes unreadable. Eventually he said, almost wearily, "On your heads be it then. Charles, we've done all we can."

With that he brushed past the group with Short Tweed following behind like a faithful puppy.

Buffy heard the front door slam shut and let out the breath she had not realised she was holding. "What was that about Rupert?" she asked. "Did you know they were coming?"

Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly as he looked at the assembled teenagers. "No, I had no idea they were keeping tabs on you. They were waiting in their car when I arrived home a few minutes before you, Buffy."

"I think we can safely say we've found out the what killed the pregnant Slayers," Xander said.

Willow and Amy nodded but Buffy, surprisingly, looked uncertain. "I don't know. I've been around evil before, and something just didn't feel right there. I didn't . . . I didn't feel like they meant me harm. I almost thought Short Tweed was concerned for me."

"Buffy-" Giles began.

"I'm probably just feeling wigged because the answer was so easy," Buffy said with a wry grin. "I'm so used to big, complex evil that the idea of it being right in front of me makes me nervous."

Giles took her hand and began rubbing his thumb lightly over her knuckles. "I understand. And I'll do everything I can to ensure the damned Council can't hurt you or our baby."

He gently kissed her and Buffy sighed.


	11. Chapter 11

"Heads," Willow called.

"Heads it is," Xander confirmed. "Just you wait - my team is going to slaughter yours."

"Xander, you can't draw for peanuts, neither can Anya and I usually have to draw Amy's spell diagrams to make sure we don't have anymore pig-manifestations."

"It was a cute pig," Amy objected.

"It still wasn't a tracking spell though," Willow returned. "Face it Xander - you don't have a chance of winning Pictionary and you know it."

"You mock me now, but I'll be the mocker when I stamp on your team," Xander taunted.

"Can we just play already?" Buffy said grumpily.

"Somebody's not Little Miss Happy today," Anya commented.

Buffy poked her tongue out and said nothing.

"Be nice," Xander whispered to her. "She couldn't fit into her jeans this morning."

"You are looking a bit fatter," Anya said tactlessly.

Buffy promptly burst into tears and made a dash for her bedroom.

"Thank you Anya," Giles said sarcastically. "It only took me two hours to persuade her to come downstairs today. She's feeling ugly and that was so much help."

With that he strode out of the room.

"Buffy," Giles called through their bedroom door. He could hear her quiet, hiccuping sobs, slightly muffled as though she was hiding her face in a pillow. Which she probably was. In the month since Travers' visit Buffy's moods had become increasingly unpredictable. It was the hormones of the pregnancy exaggerating her natural mood swings but Giles could never cope well with her tears.

He sat down with his back against the wall to try to coax her out of the room. "Buffy, love, what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

There was silence for a moment, and he could hear his beautiful Slayer stifling her sobs. "I-I'm fat, a-and ugly, and I don't want you to see me until I'm not."

"Love, you're pregnant not fat. I think you're beautiful."

"I'm not. I can't even fit into my jeans!"

"So your figure is a little fuller than before. I always thought you were a little thin before. Now, you're pregnant with my child and I couldn't be happier."

"Rupert, you aren't me. You don't know how it feels to look like the Michelin man on a fat day."

"Buffy, I love you," Giles said, trying to think of something to say that would not sound trite or could be taken badly. A thought struck him, and he immediately dismissed it as being silly and sentimental. Then he went back to it and considered. _She might appreciate this . . ._ "Do you remember shortly after we met there was a nest of Venga demons in Whetherly Park? We all went to flush them out - Xander and Willow would not let us go alone - and you were trying to slay them when it began to rain and the demons all dissolved." There was no sound now through the door. "We hadn't had any rain for a month and you were so happy to see the rain you splashed around in the park until we were all soaked. Then you three played chase and I tried not to laugh at you. I remember the joy and happiness on your face that night. When I look at you, or even think of you, that is what I see."

"A drowned-rat Buffy?" came the quiet question.

Her voice now came from just the other side of the door and Giles smiled faintly. "No. A beautiful woman who loves life. Who can take joy in something as simple as a rainfall. Who has a heart so loving she can love people who don't deserve it. Who is brave enough to love again even after being hurt. Who is as beautiful inside as she is outside."

The door cracked open and a reddened blue eye peeked out. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Giles shifted so that he was kneeling to look straight into Buffy's eye. "I love you and I could never think you're fat. If it makes you feel better I'll go and hit Anya," he offered, smiling at her.

She considered it for a moment. "Nah, I'm sure Xander's yelled at her by now."

The door opened completely and Buffy reached up to give her husband a long, toe-curling kiss. "You are the best husband I could ask for," she whispered when she released him.

Giles cleared his throat and tried to speak, "I-I-I-I . . ."

"I know," she grinned at him, her slightly reddened eyes twinkling with life again. "Uh, Rupert? I'd love to continue this, but I kinda need . . . ice-cream."

"Ice-cream?"

Buffy nodded vigorously. "I'm hungry and I think the baby wants ice-cream. Please? I'll be really nice to you later."

_These mood swings are going to kill me,_ Giles thought as he stood.

They went downstairs hand in hand and ducked into the lounge briefly to tell their friends where they were going. Buffy was surprised when Anya asked them to wait and rushed into the kitchen. They heard her opening and closing cupboards, searching for something, and then she returned with . . .

"Gherkins?" Buffy queried when the ex-demon handed her a jar.

"You're pregnant. You have weird cravings. I read about them," Anya stated proudly. "I'm sorry I made comments about your weight. I'm sure you'll lose it all after the baby is born."

Anya's voice was not very apologetic, and she glanced at Xander as she spoke, but the blonde Slayer understood what she was trying to say. "Thanks Anya, but I'm not really in the mood for gherkins and ice-cream. I'm more in a mint-chocolate-chip mood, with possibly cream and fudge sauce, but mainly just ice-cream."

***

"I think I am the luckiest person alive right now," Buffy commented as they walked home from the ice-cream parlour hand in hand. "I'm married to the best husband in the world, I'm gonna have a baby which I never thought would happen, and I have friends who are better than family. We haven't heard from the Council in over a month and Mom is slowly getting used to the idea of 'us'. She may even be happy about the baby when she graduates college."

"She?" Giles enquired mildly.

"Or he, I'm not sure what I'd prefer."

"So long as he's healthy I'll be the happiest man alive."

"Who woulda guessed that under the stuffy librarian there was a sexy, mushy man?" she teased him.

Neither of them noticed the dark blue van as it slowly rounded the corner and advanced on them.

"Aww, I've made you blush," Buffy continued her teasing.

"I-I, uh, I-" Giles stuttered, continuing to blush.

"Y'know, if I'd known how much fun this was I would have tried it years ago," Buffy said with a thoughtful grin.

"T-tried what?"

"Complimenting you. Loving you. Kissing you."

She suited her words and pulled his head down for a quick kiss, so neither of them noticed as the navy van slowed and halted beside them. The first inkling either of them had that anything was wrong came when Giles felt blinding pain in his skull.

Buffy gasped as her husband fell at her feet, unconscious, and looked up to see Short Tweed and two henchmen, dressed in a mix of leather and woollen turtlenecks, surrounding her. They all held revolvers pointed at her and Giles, and Short Tweed held the wooden bat her had used to knock out the Watcher.

Shock held her speechless as Short Tweed said, with a nasty smile, "We are here to take you into custody Miss Summers. Any further attempts at resistance would not be wise. I doubt you want us to be forced to kill anyone in self-defence?" he said this with a significant look at Giles.

"Bastard," she spat, but held still. "And it's Mrs Giles, thank you."

"Feisty to the end," Short Tweed muttered. "Load her up - and this time? Remember to use the special chains. Wouldn't want **Miss Summers** here to get free now, would we?"

The Watchers efficiently chained and gagged Buffy, deposited her on a seat in the van, and chained her to that as well. When he was satisfied she would not escape Short Tweed took the wheel and they drove away, leaving Giles unconscious in the street.


	12. Chapter 12

Giles stirred and felt pain shoot through his head, forcing a painful groan from his mouth. After a moment he mastered himself and gingerly sat up, immediately regretting it when his stomach threatened to relieve him of the ice-cream he had recently consumed. _Ice-cream...Buffy!_

The realisation of what had probably happened sent a bolt of fear straight through him. With a growing sense of dread he scanned the area but could see no sign of his blonde Slayer. The former Watcher forced himself to stand, despite the pain in his head and the rolling of his stomach, and move into a staggering walk. Although the ground wavered and greyed in front of him he sped up to a lurching trot and made his unsteady way back to the house. It took him a moment to find his keys and even longer to fumble them into the lock but finally he was in. He went straight to the living room where the Gang was still playing Pictionary and he leaned against the doorjamb, gasping for breath. It took several attempts but he finally managed to clear his throat and rasp, "They got Buffy!"

There was shocked silence in the room for a moment and then Willow rushed to his side and helped him into a chair.

"Xander - get some ice. Amy - find a cloth and the first aid kit, I think it's still in the basement. Anya - shut up," Willow order quickly.

For a moment the other teenagers were too startled by Willow's take-charge tone to do anything. Until she shouted "Move!" that is.

Then everyone scampered to carry out her orders as fast as possible. Within minutes Giles had a cold compress on the lump that was gradually swelling on the back of his head and the cut beneath had been cleaned up. The Gang gathered tensely and looked at his, faces a mixture of fear and anticipation.

"What happened?" Willow asked.

"I'm not sure," Giles began as he tried to put his scattered thoughts in order. "We were walking home, I was d-distracted and then I woke up alone in the street."

"Fine Watcher you are," Xander said bitterly. "How could you let yourself get distracted?"

"Xander!" Willow immediately reprimanded him.

"He has a point," Anya said. "He knows how much danger she's in."

"Anya!" Willow said even more sharply.

"Willow, they're right," Giles said wearily. "I knew the danger, but Buffy surprised me and before I knew it she was gone. I let them get her. We should never have gone out there without protection."

"We all thought the danger was gone," Willow tried to reassure him. "We all got lax and now Buffy's gone. It's time to stop blaming ourselves and start trying to find her - before they take her to England."

"How can we be sure it's the Council?" Amy asked, something nagging at the back of her mind.

"We can't," Giles said, "but it's a reasonable assumption. Amy, Willow - do you know any locator spells or tracking spells?"

"There's that one we were trying out yesterday," Amy offered.

"Didn't you make a pig yesterday?" Anya asked.

Willow flushed slightly. "Yeah, but that was 'cause the symbols weren't drawn properly. I'll draw this time and Amy can get the herbs."

Amy nodded and immediately ran upstairs. Everyone else began to make their way to the basement.

"I can't believe you guys stopped the Ascension," Anya mused. "But bacon might be nice for breakfast."

***

Buffy could not tell where she was. The van had made several sharp turns but there were no windows in the back compartment so she could only guess at the direction they had taken. Finally the sounds of the engine had begun to echo and then they ceased and there was a loud 'clang' behind them, so she assumed they were parked in a warehouse of some description. The Watchers had left her alone in the van, chained to the bench, and try as she might Buffy could not break free.

There was something the blonde girl had never told her friends. As a Slayer is seemed a little silly to be afraid of the dark and she was usually perfectly all right about it. But the mixture of total dark in the van and the small space was unnerving her. She felt as though the unseen walls were pressing against her and a light sheen of sweat broke out on her face. _Giles, you had better be using your Watcher brainpowers to rescue me,_ Buffy thought, aware that she was shivering slightly. _I swear, when you rescue me you are gonna have the reward of your life._

She kept the image of his beloved face, with his green eyes and quirky grin, firmly in the front of her mind as she tried to stave off the rising panic.

***

Giles paced the basement as Willow and Amy carefully cast their spell. They had taken one look at his panicked face and declared that they needed no help whatsoever so he was left to pace worriedly. _She has to be all right. She has to be all right,_ he repeated to himself over and over. _If they've hurt her or our baby, so help me God I'll kill them all._

"So mote it be," Willow finally intoned.

Immediately Giles was behind them staring at the map that sat in the middle of the circle the two witches had drawn. At first nothing seemed to be happening but then a spot of light gradually began to shine on the map. It was only tiny, and it had a faint greenish tinge, but after a minute it was firmly shining above the warehouse district near the docks. More importantly it was fixed above a certain warehouse at the farthest end of the docks.

"She's there," Willow said unnecessarily.

"What are we waiting for?" Xander asked. "Saddle up, hi ho Silver and away!"

"We mustn't rush into anything," Willow stated seriously. "We don't know how many there are or...or anything about the place!"

"For once I'll have to agree with Xander," Giles said, a slightly pained look on his face. "We should go immediately. There's no telling how soon they'll be able to find a boat to take Buffy to England, and if I know the Council they've probably already got one and are just waiting for the right tide."

He began moving around the room, collecting weapons into a bag, and after a moment's hesitation the others followed suit. When they were fully equipped they stopped to make one final check on the map. During their preparation time Willow had found a map of the warehouses on the Internet and she carefully compared it with the location of the light on their larger map.

"Looks like...warehouse 11D. Uh...yeah...we should be able to...wait!" Willow exclaimed suddenly. "She's moving. Where are they taking her now?"

"Can you transport this thing?" Giles asked quickly.

Willow and Amy exchanged glances before Willow let out a breath and said, "No."

"Damn!" Giles began to pace again. "If only we had some way of checking on the map and leaving it here."

Anya suddenly grinned and fished around in her bag. In moments she was holding up a mobile phone and Xander was beaming at her proudly.

"One of you can stay here and give me readings as we go," she said, basking in Xander's approval.

Everyone in the group looked at each other, assessing. Finally Amy spoke up, "I'll be base. If anything goes wrong with the spell I should be able to repair it and you guys probably know the layout of those docks better than me."

That agreed on, they were soon speeding towards the ocean in Xander's car.

***

The silence in the van was broken by sudden cries outside in the warehouse. Buffy heard crunches and the racket of something smashing all accompanied by loud, human, shouts of pain. The noise went on for a couple of minutes and then there was silence. Now Buffy was shaking from her own fear, and the fear of what was out there. _Don't let them hurt my baby,_ she pleaded silently.

Without warning the door of the van was violently wrenched off its hinges and **something** peered inside. It was too dark for Buffy to make out details but its silhouette did not look human. Most humans were not that big, and they certainly did not have curling horns protruding from their foreheads.

A huge hand reached inside and grasped the chain that was bolted to the floor of the van, snapping it as though it was string. Buffy found herself being pulled forward and falling awkwardly out of the van. Large, clawed feet were planted in front of her eyes and there was a reek of rotting fish that made her gag. _Oh, please don't let me vomit into this gag. That would be beyond ick,_ she thought.

Something grunted above her and then pain exploded in her head followed by blessed darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

Xander parked the car out of sight several warehouses down from 11D and the Gang sat in silence for a moment.

"Is Buffy still moving?" Giles asked Anya after a moment.

There was a brief conversation behind him and then Anya said, "Yeah. Amy thinks they've moved into the sewers."

"Damn!" Giles cursed.

"What's the plan G-man?" Xander asked.

Worryingly Giles did not seem to notice the hated nickname and Xander paled when he realised that. Instead the older man said, "We'll go to the warehouse - see if there's any clue as to where they've taken her."

"We're just going to walk into a warehouse full of Watchers? Who are probably armed if they're expecting to deal with an angry Slayer?" Anya asked.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" Giles answered her.

"No, just checking to make sure I heard properly."

"We're not totally defenceless," Willow protested. "We've got weapons and I've got a spell prepared."

"A crossbow, some stakes and some holy water will probably intimidate some vampires but are you really going to use them on humans?" asked Anya.

"We'll use whatever it takes to get Buffy back," Giles said and he got out of the car.

They walked silently through the industrial park, keeping to the shadows as much as possible and feeling acutely nervous every time they had to cross exposed ground. Giles led, armed with a loaded crossbow, and Willow and Xander followed close behind. The redheaded witch clutched a vial of blue liquid in her hand, muttering under her breath as she went, and Xander carried a piece of two by four like a club. Bringing up the rear, Anya looked the least intimidated of them all and she now had the mobile phone strapped to her waist with an earphone on one ear and the tiny microphone pinned to the lapel of her jacket. They approached warehouse 11D and Giles signalled them to crouch behind a skip against the wall. The dying light of the evening sun threw long shadows over them and the air was so still they could hear the gravel crunch faintly as a bird landed nearby.

"This feels wrong," Xander breathed. "Where are the lookouts? This is too easy."

"It's too quiet," Willow agreed.

"Maybe they abandoned it," Anya said quietly.

"No, they would want to keep a base near the docks," Giles whispered. "It's the only way they could get Buffy out of the country undetected. "

"Maybe they just forgot to set guards," Willow offered hopefully.

Xander and Giles exchanged glances but it was the older man who spoke, "Unlikely. They may be incompetent at times but they wouldn't be that careless. As much as I may hate to admit it, Xander's right. Something is wrong."

"Do we have a plan B?" the younger boy asked.

"No," said Giles.

"Next time, we're having a plan B before we get to this stage," Xander vowed.

Giles stood and the others followed suit. Willow checked her vial of liquid, which was now glowing faintly, one last time and Xander hefted his makeshift club nervously while Giles checked his crossbow. Anya filed her nails with a bored expression. The armed Gang lined themselves up in front of the wide doors to the warehouse and at a nod from Giles the redheaded witch threw her vial at the doors.

There was a dull explosion and blue smoke plumed out. The small rescue party marched through the now destroyed doorway and into the smoke filled warehouse. The smoke from Willow's spell was thick and obscured their vision but it was not choking and it smelled faintly of lavender. Their vision may have been clouded but there was no disguising the deathly silence in the large building. No one came out to challenge them; there was no sound, not even the faint sounds of breathing, and none of them could feel anything moving. The absolute silence was more chilling than two dozen armed Watchers would have been.

They all stood still while they waited for the smoke to clear. Gradually the air became thinner and they could make out hazy shapes. A large, hulking object in the middle of the warehouse was probably the van. Next to it was a lumpy shape on the floor. Another lumpy mass slumped against a nearby wall and as the scent of lavender faded it was replaced by the coppery scent of blood.

The smoke cleared completely and the reddish light of the setting sun shone through the window set high in the walls. At first Willow thought the splashes of red on the walls were reflections of the light. Until she looked more closely at the slumped figure against the nearby wall. She put a hand to her mouth and tried to stop her stomach rebelling. A glance at her companions told her she was not the only one struggling. Anya had a disgusted look on her face while Xander was distinctly green. Giles looked pale and he swallowed rapidly several times.

"My god," he breathed.

Willow looked at the broken figure slumped against the van and rushed from the building before she lost her battle with her stomach.

***

__

**The sun shone down on the meadow and the faint breeze brought the scent of grass and clover. Buffy looked at the picnic spread out on the rug in front of her and leaned back against the firm, warm chest behind her. She heard shouts and laughter and turned her head to see Xander jump and catch a yellow Frisbee.

__

"Gotta do better than that," he teased Willow as he threw it back to her.

__

A warm handle began rubbing circles on her stomach over the barely visible lump and the Slayer looked down to see Giles' familiar hand with its gold band on his fourth finger. Buffy closed her eyes and smiled contentedly. She had the nagging feeling that there was something she was supposed to be doing but it flew away on the gentle breeze like a butterfly.

__

"Nice life ya got here B. I'm impressed."

__

Buffy opened her eyes to see Faith sitting on the other side of the rug. She wore a pretty floral dress and the hilt of a dagger protruded from her stomach, but she was smiling so Buffy could not worry.

__

"I missed you," she said. "Do you want a sandwich?"

__

"Can't stay B. I'm still in a coma, remember?"

__

"Oh, yeah."

__

"You know this isn't real, right?"

__

"But I want it to be real," Buffy protested.

__

Faith grinned at her. "You and me both, girlfriend. The place where you really are...it isn't nice. But you have to go back."

__

"I like it **here**."

__

"Here's great for a while, but it gets so boring after a while. I'm itching for some action."

__

There was something wrong with the whole scenario but Buffy was so comfortable she did not want to move. She had Giles' arms around her, her friends were there and she could feel her baby growing inside - why should she leave?

__

"B, you gotta go. I'll be there sooner than you think and then we can party. It'll be wicked cool."

__

Buffy nodded reluctantly and looked down at the arms wrapped around her. It was no longer Giles' hand. Instead it was a smooth pale hand with a claddagh ring on the middle finger. The chest behind her was no longer warm and comforting; it was cold and hard. She pulled away with a start and turned to see Angel staring back at her, his face contorted with fangs and his eyes glowing yellow.

__

"Get away from me," she demanded, hugging the baby she was now holding tightly to her.

__

The vampire lunged and Buffy scrambled wildly away from him. A hulking, horned shape appeared from the nearby trees and began lurching towards them. Buffy looked around, frightened, but Xander and Willow carried on playing without noticing anything was amiss. There was no sign of Giles anywhere.

__

"B, give her to me. I'll look after her."

__

"But-"

__

"There's no time B! This isn't a Tupperware party. I'll give her back when it's safe. I promise."

__

Buffy reluctantly nodded and the baby disappeared, immediately reappearing in Faith's arms. The dark Slayer smiled and bent her head to kiss the tiny baby's forehead. Angel lunged for Buffy again and she stood, holding up the stake she suddenly found in her hand. Clouds raced over the sky above and obscured the sun so the world became twilight and a cold wind blew over Buffy carrying with it the charnel-house stench of approaching death. An ugly snarl sounded from the vampire and an answering roar came from the direction of the lumbering demon. Xander and Willow disappeared and the blonde Slayer began to tremble.

__

"What's happening?" she asked Faith.

__

"He's coming," the dark Slayer replied fearfully. "You have to stop him."

__

"Who? Who's coming?"

__

"The World Eater. He's gonna eat us all up."

__

The huge demon was closer now and Buffy could see his eyes glowing red like hot coals. She felt a sudden weight on her back and reached around to find an empty sword sheath strapped there.

__

"I need a weapon!" she shouted at her sister Slayer, but the dark girl did not hear her.

__

Angel snarled again and moved towards her, but he suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. The demon roared again and Angel turned to it and roared in answer. Both demons ignored the Slayers and began circling each other.

__

"Hey B, that's a wicked cool sword ya got there. Can I see it?" Faith asked.

__

"You're looking after the baby," Buffy answered, fingering the sword that she now held.

__

Faith looked down and seemed surprised to find she was still holding the baby. "So I am."

__

Buffy felt warm arms encircle her waist from behind and she knew it was Giles.

__

"Swap?" Faith asked, holding out the sleeping baby.

__

"Ok."

__

The sword disappeared from Buffy's hand and the baby began to float towards her. She reached out towards it and heard Faith say distantly, "Shoulda been there, B, quite a ride."

__

The world disappeared into white light . . .**

__

Buffy woke to find herself being carried through dark tunnels by a creature wearing concealing robes. Her head hurt and the jostling as the creature walked made it worse. Each step also made her nausea worse and she groaned faintly. Foul breath washed over her face as her kidnapper spoke to her in a harsh, unintelligible language. She sucked in a breath as her stomach threatened to rebel and let it out when it made the pain in her head worsened. The edge of her vision began to grey and the roof above spun wildly. A flash of memory - a meadow in sunlight - came and went quickly. The world lurched and went black.

***

"She's not here," Giles announced.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Xander asked quietly.

Willow looked up from the papers she was studying. "I'm going with a good thing. If she's not here she wasn't killed here."

Giles stood from where he had been crouched beside one of the bodies and rubbed his forehead exhaustedly. "Whatever happened, they were killed quickly and brutally. The very fact that they are all dead and nothing else seems to be missing would lead me to assume they came here for something."

"And that they found it," Xander added.

"Quite. Whoever did this," the Watcher gestured around the room, "probably took Buffy with them for a reason."

"So what'll we do?" asked Xander.

"Anya, is Buffy still moving?"

The former demon conferred quietly for a minute and then said, "Amy thinks she is. Apparently the spell is weakening so it's a little hard to tell for sure."

"There's nothing here to say what might have happened, apart from the obvious," Willow said, putting down her papers and joining the others. "As far as I can make out they intended to take Buffy to England on a boat that would have left tonight."

"So we're back to square one then," Xander sighed.

"I think we'll have to go home and try to strengthen the spell," Giles said tiredly. "I'll see if I can find something in one of my books while we do so."

"I'll have a look on the Internet and see if there's anyone else who might want to kidnap a Slayer," Willow added as they began to walk through the twilight to the car.

"I'll drop you guys off and then go beat Willy up," Xander offered.

"What can I do?" Anya asked.

Willow looked at her, marvelling that the normally slightly selfish demon seemed disappointed not to have anything to do in the plan. "You're a thousand years old, right? I'm sure Giles could use your knowledge."

"He could?"

"Another pair of eyes that understand old languages would be helpful," Giles assured her.

"Thank you."

***

Willow headed straight for the telephone as soon as she walked through the door and Giles and Anya went straight to the basement. Amy was sitting at the table in front of the map with an exhausted expression.

"The spell ran out ten minutes ago," she said tiredly. "I tried to reinforce it but I don't have the strength. We'll have to recast it tomorrow."

"It's all right," Giles said. "At least we were able to track her for a while. She should have stopped moving by the time you can try again. Why don't you get some sleep, hmm?"

Amy nodded, and walked heavily up the stairs without another word. She passed Willow as the redheaded witch came down the stairs and gave her a half smile before walking on.

"I called Cordelia," Willow announced as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "She and Wesley are coming down as soon as they can. He thinks he may know who has Buffy."

"Did she say anything else?" asked the Watcher, hope gleaming in his eyes for the first time in several hours.

"No. Just that there may be more happening than we're aware of."

The hours seemed to pass more slowly than the past four years had. Giles alternated between researching, pacing and chafing at the delays. Anya read solidly and determinedly, proving to know more than any of them had realised and Willow typed like a dervish trying to find even a scrap of knowledge somewhere out in the electronic jungle.

A loud banging at the door startled them all and Giles muttered "Finally!" as he practically ran up to the front door. Willow however, who had been in the kitchen making coffee, beat him to it and pulled open the door.

"Hello cutie," a familiar British voice drawled.


	14. Chapter 14

For a moment Willow stared at the figure standing in the doorway in shock before she managed to squeak, "Spike!"

"In the flesh," the blonde vampire agreed with a smirk.

Spike suddenly found himself facing, not a small redheaded witch, but a tall, angry Watcher with a loaded crossbow. "Where's Buffy?"

"How the bloody hell should I know? She's your wife, mate."

Giles eyes went even colder. "You are going to tell me what you've done with her or I'll make sure you have a very long, unpleasant death. Do you understand me?"

Spike took a step back and raised his hands. "Now hold on a minute. Why do you think I have her?"

"'Cos you're a blood-thirsty vampire who's tried to kill her several times already?" Willow asked.

Spike winced slightly. "Well, apart from that."

Giles' crossbow stayed steadily pointing at the vampire's chest. "Let me see . . . Buffy goes missing and you turn up knowing more about her than you should. I'd say I have reasons for my suspicion."

"Just because I know something doesn't mean I have her. Rumours have been going around about you two for months. The biggest rumour is that she's pregnant."

"That's none of your business," Giles said flatly.

"Now there's where you're wrong. If she's knocked up it's the business of everyone in this world."

"Really."

"Yes, really." Spike paused and looked at the crossbow. "Do you mind putting that thing away for a moment? It's very unnerving."

The crossbow stayed pointing at his chest.

Spike sighed. "Look, I want to make a deal so I'm not going to rip your bloody throats out, no matter how much fun it would be."

"Go on."

"You need my information and I need your protection. I think that's a perfect base for a deal."

"Why should I believe you?" asked the Watcher. "You haven't shown yourself to be trustworthy in the past."

"I want to save the world," the vampire said, grinning slightly. "Not the most original plan, but it's true."

Willow looked at him in disbelief. " **You** want to save the world? Aren't you a vampire?"

"I'll admit, I've been in on my fair share of 'end the world' kicks." Spike paused. "And they were a lot of fun." Giles' finger tightened on the trigger a little. "I'm a vampire, not a liar. Most of the time. Believe me, this is one attempt I don't want to be in on. Now, are you going to put that bloody thing away or am I going to find a nice hillside to see the sunrise on?"

"A hillside sounds nice," Willow said immediately. "Oops, who said that?"

"If I top myself my information goes too and you'll never get your Slayer back. And then you might as well all top yourselves, because the new world ain't going to be pretty," Spike informed them.

Giles considered a minute. "If you so much as look at anyone with a less than pure look I'll personally stake you."

"Done. Now can I come in? I'm feeling pretty exposed here."

Willow stood back as Giles lowered the bow and gestured Spike in.

"Mate, you have to bloody invite me or I can't get in."

The Watcher smirked wickedly. "Dear me, how careless of me to forget. Keep one thing in mind though - I still have a disinvitation spell. Come in."

Spike grinned, adjusted his leather duster on his shoulders and stepped through the doorway. "Thanks, mate. Do you have any blood around here? I'm feeling a little peckish and you wouldn't want me to start snacking, now would you?"

"We have tea," Willow offered.

The vampire sighed melodramatically. "I could go hunting but . . ."

"Xander has Anya's phone," Willow said. "I'll ask him to pick some up from Willy's."

"Aah, Red, still with a soft spot for a poor, hungry vampire," Spike said, leering at her. "God I've . . . not missed this place at all."

***

The doorbell rang again a couple of minutes later, and again Willow answered it. This time she had barely a moment to think before she was picked up, hugged, and put down again so quickly it was almost a blur.

"Hi Cordelia," she said weakly, a little surprised by the taller girl's unusual display of affection. "And Wesley," she added as she saw the former Watcher standing on the porch.

"Ah, yes, hello Willow. You're well I trust?" the English man said uncertainly.

"I'm fine. Come in. Everyone's in the basement. Do you want something to eat?"

"I am starved," Cordelia said with a glare at Wesley. " **Someone** didn't want to stop long enough to eat on the way over. Was it too much to ask for a sandwich?"

"It was imperative that we get here as quickly as possible. It's vital that you all understand the gravity of the situation we're dealing with."

"Uh, right," Willow said uncertainly. "You go on down to the basement and I'll bring the food. Xander should be back from Willy's soon so we can't start yet."

Cordelia showed Wesley down to the basement where they found Giles and Anya hard at work researching, or at least try to. It was hard to research when you had no idea what you were looking for.

Wesley cleared his throat. "Mr Giles . . . uh, may I say congratulations on your marriage . . . and I'm sorry we couldn't be meeting under better circumstances."

Giles stood and walked towards the other former Watcher, his quick eyes taking in the black jeans, casual white shirt and lack of gel in the younger man's hair. "Thank you Wesley. It seems that leaving the Council has also been a change for the better for you. But please, don't call me Mr Giles. My friends," he gestured around the room to Anya, Cordelia and the freshly arrived Willow, "call me Giles."

Wesley flushed and there was a suspicious brightness in his eyes that he would never admit to being a tear. "Thank you."

There was silence as Willow set the platter of sandwiches on the table and Cordelia and Anya dived in. Wesley was following them until he spotted Spike sitting in a corner.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," he said, walking over the vampire and offering him a hand. "Wesley Wyndham-Price."

Spike eyed the hand with a hungry leer. "Spike. You may know me better as William the Bloody."

Wesley immediately took back his hand and backed up a few paces. "Er, Mr . . . uh, Giles, are you aware that you have a vampire in your house?"

The older man briefly looked up from his sandwich and smiled. "Yes."

Wesley nervously ran a hand through his hair. "Good, good, just checking. You never can be too careful."

Spike grinned and stood, watching with glee as Wesley moved back another pace. "This is just . . . fun. Are you sure I can't eat this one? He seems like a bit of a wimp. The world won't miss one little wimp."

He received a glare from four pairs of eyes and sighed dramatically before flopping down into his chair again.

"So what is bleach-brain over there doing here?" Cordelia asked Willow.

"He says he has information and Giles needs all the information he can get. He's promised not to eat us," Willow said.

"Oh. I guess Giles is totally freaked about Buffy disappearing."

Willow looked around but Giles was eating a sandwich and reading another book. "I've never seen him like this. He's terrified and he's trying to make sure no one knows."

"He really loves her, doesn't he?"

The redheaded witch nodded.

***

Xander arrived a few minutes later, bursting into the room filled with uncomfortably silent people. "Willy said that - oh my God, Spike! Vampire!"

He looked around at the blankly staring faces.

"You already knew that, didn't you? Could someone let me in on the secret? Why is Spike - the vicious killing vampire - sitting here?"

"I've got information that you need, mate," Spike said, standing. "So keep your stakes, and your bloody holy water, away from me. I'm one of the white hats."

Xander paused, shook his head and looked around. "Am I hearing right? I could have sworn Spike just said that he's on our side."

"You heard right," Giles said with a sigh. "Apparently he has information and I, for one, want Buffy back even if we have to rely on Spike for a while."

Xander dutifully shut up, although Willow noted that he palmed a bottle of holy water as he made his way to the table.

As the group sat down around the large table Giles looked around, regarding their concerned expressions (and ignoring Spike's look of barely contained laughter), and marvelled again at how much his tiny blonde wife had touched all their lives. He felt the emotions that he had so ruthlessly suppressed rise to the surface and took a deep, shuddering breath to control himself again.

"I haven't been able to find a bloody thing anywhere," he said when they were all seated. "Beyond knowing that something took her from the Watchers and killed the lot of them, I have nothing. But whatever it was must have been strong and deadly. That was the special ops unit that was slaughtered in the warehouse."

"The special ops unit was slaughtered? All of them?" Wesley paled as Giles nodded. "This is more serious than I thought."

"What's your great secret then?" Cordelia asked him. 

Wesley looked around the table to make sure everyone was listening and then he cleared his throat purposefully. "There is a secret that the Council has kept from almost all Watchers, apart from those at the highest levels. Even they do not know more than a few scraps of the legend-"

"Legend? You dragged me out of LA in Angel's car, without even stopping for food, because of a legend?" Cordelia was outraged.

"Well, yes," Wesley said, not in the least bit put out by the former cheerleader's outburst. "Most legends have a basis in truth."

"Ah, shades of Hansel and Gretel," Xander said knowingly.

"Hansel and Gretel?" Wesley asked uncertainly.

"Big 'fairytales are real' thing last year," Willow supplied.

"Ah. Yes. Well." Wesley fiddled with the open collar of his shirt and began again. "There is a legend that even some of the most influential Watchers don't know about. The Council only knows the barest outline and that is enough make them determined to stop it getting out."

"If this is so secret, why do you know it?" Xander asked. "I mean, pardon me, but haven't you been expelled as well?"

"It's amazing what a person can find when they're wandering around in the archives late at night," Wesley mused. "Old documents that were supposed to be destroyed, records of Council meetings centuries old . . ."

"So basically, you snooped," Cordelia said admiringly. "Go Wes. I never thought you had it in you."

"Yes . . . well, I, uh . . ." Wesley trailed off into stuttering embarrassment.

"So what did you find?" Xander asked impatiently. "Buffy isn't getting any less kidnapped here."

"The legend concerns a sect of demons calling themselves the _'Comedores Do Mondo'_. It's a Portuguese phrase meaning . . ."

"The World Eaters," Giles finished for him.


	15. Chapter 15

"The World Eaters," Xander repeated. "Why do have a feeling they're not the newest heavy metal band?"

"They're a demon cult, or sect, that apparently have a fascination with the Slayer's offspring." Wesley paused and glanced at Giles. "According to the texts I found they believe the sacrifice of a child of a Slayer is vital in one of their rituals. I'm not entirely sure which ritual it is, but everything points-"

"You haven't got a bloody clue!" Spike exclaimed suddenly.

Wesley looked offended. "I assure you, these texts-"

"Oh, you have the outline right, mate, but the whole picture is a bit beyond you." Spike smirked. "The _Commedores do Mondo_ are much sneakier than you seem to think."

"Very well then, enlighten me," Wesley challenged.

"The deal is still on, right? My information for your protection."

"That depends on how useful your information is," Giles told him.

Spike looked around to make sure he had an attentive audience before he began. "The Commedores Do Mondo are the most evil, obnoxious, downright creepy buggers to walk this earth. Hell - they make old Angelus look like a kitten."

"So they're evil. We get that. Why are you demanding our protection from them?" Cordelia asked.

"The Slayer's kid. This whole deal wouldn't be happening if your Watcher over there hadn't got it on with the Slayer."

"Would you get to the point already?" Xander demanded.

Spike sighed and slouched further in his chair. "They want to use the brat in a ritual. According to their sacred texts its blood is the key to opening the Hellmouth."

There was stunned silence for a moment before Cordelia said, "Haven't we done that already? And weren't you one of the doers? I though the Hellmouth opening would be something for you to celebrate."

"You might say that these Commedores creatures are purists. They want to exterminate all humanity, starting with human-tainted demons. This whole 'open the Hellmouth' deal gives them the power to do it. And take a guess as to what ranks highest on their 'most hated' list."

Xander glared at Spike. "So this whole thing is because you're afraid?"

"Too right, mate. You think I'm stupid or something? If those bloody things get hold of the Slayer's child, I'll be the first to go."

***

Gradually the blackness faded to . . . well, a different shade of black and Buffy groaned as she came around. Her head was pounding and her stomach roiled unpleasantly as she moved her head but she was alive. For a long time she lay where she was, clamping down on the nausea that threatened to make life uncomfortable. As she lay there it slowly died down and after a few minutes she found she could sit up.

Sitting up with her eyes open actually made little difference to her surroundings. She was somewhere dark and damp, but as her eyes became accustomed to the dark she began to distinguish between dark and very dark. She appeared to be in a small cell and from the feel of the bricks beneath her and the smell she guessed she was somewhere in the catacombs and sewers that ran beneath the town. The cell was bare apart from a door with a small, barred window through which she could just make out the flickering light of torches or a fire.

Buffy struggled to her feet on unsteady legs and waited for a moment for the dizziness to pass before slowly examining her prison. A physical survey revealed no more that her visual survey, apart from convincing her that she would not be able to break the door down. She sank gratefully to the floor again and rested there with her back against the wall. A low growling in her stomach reminded her that it had now been several hours since she ate and with the added calories she needed for the baby, Buffy realised that she could become uncomfortable very soon.

She sighed and rested her hands on the small bump in her belly that was all she could feel of the growing child inside her. The rough treatment she had endured over the past few hours did not seem to have hurt it but she would feel much better if she could get to a hospital to make sure. _Rupert, please hurry,_ she silently pleaded.

***

"So, this is why the Watchers were so desperate to get their hands on Buffy," Xander concluded.

"Well, it would explain a lot," Wesley said.

"Including the Council's eagerness to terminate the pregnancy," Giles said with a sigh.

Willow spoke up for the first time, shooting nervous glances towards Spike. "How do we know he's not lying? For all we know he could just be leading us on a wild goose chase and laughing at us as we run around . . . goose-like. After all, you are a bloodthirsty killer. No offence meant."

"None taken. I like being a bloodthirsty killer, Red," Spike said cheerfully. "But do you think I'd make something like this up?"

"Yes," Willow said emphatically.

"Well, ok, you got me there," Spike admitted, "but would you take my word that I'm telling the truth? Those buggers are evil and I'm scared. Yes, me, the big bad is scared. Believe me, I would **not** be telling you that unless I were desperate."

"Your story does tie in with what little I know about the Commedores so I'm inclined to believe you," Wesley mused.

"See? Take a tip from the wimp over there - believe me."

"Where does this leave us though?" Xander asked.

"With a cult of demons who took out the entire special ops team," Giles said wearily. "They have Buffy and therefore our child. It is even more vital that we retrieve both of them."

"I don't suppose you'd happen to know where she is, would you?" Xander asked Spike.

"I haven't a bloody clue."

"Well, you're a bundle of help," the teenager said unhappily. "Willy said a new group of demons were in town, scaring away his customers, but he doesn't know where they are either. He thinks they might be in the sewers though - apparently most of the demons that have gone into hiding used to live down there."

"And Sunnydale has how many miles of sewers?" Cordelia asked. "I, for one, am not getting these shoes covered in sewer water unless someone is willing to reimburse me."

"Amy should be ready to repeat the tracing spell in a few hours," Willow said, trying to sound hopeful.

"And until then?" Xander asked.

"We don't have much choice," Giles said, somehow managing to keep his voice steady. "We wait."

***

Buffy no longer knew how long she had been held in the cell. She had slipped into a half trance and now sat there, her hand still resting protectively over her womb, but her mind drifted aimlessly. No one had come to see her, or threaten her, or even give her food and her hunger was now almost painful.

Something suddenly pulled her from her trance. She held completely still, not even daring to breathe, and it came again; the barest fluttering against her hand. It was so faint it was more like a tickle than a physical sensation, but it was there. For a moment she panicked, afraid that the rough treatment she had endured over the past few hours had hurt the baby, but then she felt it again and she remembered the pregnancy books Giles had been reading aloud to her. The faint fluttering that she felt again was the baby moving. She could feel their child moving inside her and her sigh of relief turned into a chuckle. A smile worked its way across her face and quiet, maternal joy suffused her.

"Don't worry kiddo," she whispered to the baby. "Your daddy is gonna find us and get us out."

***

The grey light of the pre-dawn was casting steely shadows across the garden as Giles stood on the kitchen step with a mug of coffee, silently drinking in the chill air. Thoughts chased each other across his mind - plans for Buffy's rescue, fears for her and the baby, nebulous plans for their future - each thought was replaced by the numbing dread that he firmly pushed away each time it threatened to overwhelm him. She was going to be fine. He refused to believe that he would not find her.

Everything in his life, all the mistakes and the good times, had led to the day they met but none of that had prepared him for how completely she would take his heart. _I'll never let anything hurt you again,_ he silently vowed.

A touch on his arm pulled him from his dark thoughts and he turned to find Willow looking up at him, her concern etched on her face.

"Amy's ready," she told him and walked back to the basement, knowing her words of comfort would be useless.

"I'm coming for you, love," he whispered. "Hold on, I'm coming."

***

It took a while for the dot of light to appear on the map and when it did the assembled humans and vampire stared at it in puzzlement.

"Here?" Xander asked eventually. "She's here?"

"How can she be?" Anya asked. "I haven't seen lots of scary demons and a pregnant Slayer wandering around the house for the past few hours."

"Are you sure your spell is accurate?" Xander asked.

"It was the last time," Willow said.

"It should have worked," Amy added.

"Maybe it did," Cordelia said. "Are there any sewers under the house? And maybe an entrance in here? Angel's place has one."

"The nearest entrance is the crypt in a cemetery about a mile away," Giles mused.

"There are sewers out here," Spike volunteered. "I never bothered exploring them though. It was a bit difficult after your little wife put me in a wheelchair."

"Willow, can you check the plans?" Giles asked.

"Sure. I'll just rummage around in the planning office. It'll be like old times," the redheaded hacker said, booting up the computer.

Cordelia, meanwhile, was moving around the basement and stomping on random parts of the flooring.

"What's she doing?" Anya whispered to Xander.

"I have no idea," the teenager replied.

Wesley, though, evidently did because he joined her, pausing every few steps to listen or prod the carpet.

"Ah-hah!" Cordelia and Willow exclaimed a few minutes later.

"Cordelia was right," the witch said, watching as the former cheerleader began pushing vainly at a large cupboard in the corner. "There's a main access tunnel going right under this house and it looks as though there were several chambers built in as well. The plans are a little hard to make out so I can't tell if there's access nearby but there's definitely somewhere down there where they could be holding Buffy."

"Of course I was right," Cordy huffed. "And if you 'gentlemen' would help me move this thing I'll show you."

Wesley and Giles immediately set to and they managed to get the heavy weapons cupboard moved in record time. As soon as that was out of the way Cordelia began pulling back the carpeting.

"Cordelia, why are you ruining my carpet?" Giles asked after a minute.

She did not answer him for a few minutes. When she seemed satisfied with what she had done she stood back and said, "Because of this."

Everyone crowded around to see, set tightly into the stone floor, a wooden trap door.

***

After the excitement of feeling the baby move for the first time Buffy had slipped back into her half-trance. It was easier than thinking about how proud Giles would be, or how much she wished she could share it with him.

Again something pulled her out of her daze, but this time it was not the faint movements of her developing child. She listened carefully and realised that she had not imagined it. Somewhere outside the cell there were faint shouts and clashes of metal on metal. _Could someone be rescuing me?_ she wondered.

The noises grew closer and she could pick out individual voices. Mostly it was guttural grunting and ululating battle cries but occasionally she could pick out a familiar voice and her heart leapt when she heard Giles' voice. Hope rose for the first time and she pushed herself to stand.

Bright lights flashed through the tiny, barred window in the door of her cell and the sounds of battle drew closer. Then, finally, a face appeared through the bars and Buffy smiled as she recognised her husband's familiar features.

"Buffy? Are you here?" he called.

"What took you so long?" she answered happily.

He flashed her a quick grin and then said, "Stand back, love."

She retreated to the back wall of the cell and moments later there was a small 'bang' followed by a flash of fire. The cell door fell inward to reveal Giles, holding an unsheathed sword and looking ferocious. His fierce appearance softened as soon as his eyes fell on Buffy and he covered the floor between them in a few, long strides, taking her into his arms and holding her so tightly that she would have been hurt if she had not been the Slayer.

"Hi," she whispered when he released her.

"Hello."

"Can we get out of here?"

He did not answer, but instead picked her up and carried her to the door of her cell.


	16. Chapter 16

The corridor outside the cell was a scene of chaos. Several demons lay prone, probably dead, on the floor and the remaining creatures were busy fighting. As Buffy watched, Wesley, Anya and Xander cornered one and began chopping at it with axes and swords, trying to get through the demon's tough hide. Turning her head slightly she saw Spike fighting, his black duster flying behind him as he spun and kicked and his yellow eyes gleaming with feral delight. It took her a moment to realise that he seemed to be on their side rather than the demons' and she filed that away as something to ponder later. A flash of blue light caught her eye and she turned to see Willow next to some stone step that lead into the ceiling, throwing vials of glowing blue liquid at any demons that came near her. The vials burst with the blue light that Buffy had seen and created small puffs of blue smoke that the demons seemed to dislike intensely.

Giles shifted her weight slightly and Buffy put her head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his neck to make it easier for him. He had barely taken a few steps from the cell-door when the first demon noticed them and began to move towards them.

"Put me down," Buffy shouted over the din. "You can't fight and carry me."

He paid her no attention and held his ground. The demon came closer but never made it to them - it was pulled back by an enraged Spike who began pummelling it viscously. Cordelia emerged from a corner holding a large bag as Xander, Anya and Wesley managed to dispatch their demon. Within moments the Watcher and Slayer were surrounded by their friends, forming a human barricade. Giles tossed his useless sword to Spike, who grinned and beheaded his demon with one stroke.

"How are we going to get out?" Buffy asked.

"Leave that to us," Giles said, holding her closely.

Buffy soon saw what he meant. Spike, Wesley, Xander, Anya and Cordelia all produced more of the vials Willow had been throwing and the air around them filled with blue smoke that smelled faintly of lavender. They began moving towards the stairs, throwing vials as they went from the seemingly endless supply in Cordelia's bag. The few remaining demons could not get within the cloud of smoke and the ones that tried quickly collapsed, coughing and spluttering, their exposed hides blistering as though burnt. It seemed to be hours before they reached the step although it was probably only a few minutes. Willow herded them all up the steps and Buffy was surprised to find herself in the basement of the house.

Before she closed the door, Willow threw the bag of vials down the stairs and it exploded in a large flash of blue light. She and Amy closed and locked the trapdoor and Buffy just had time to register that there were chalk markings on the wood before the two witches began chanting. Slowly a white light began to pulse through the symbols on the trapdoor and around the witches, increasing in frequency until the two girls were hidden in a globe of white. There was one final pulse, so bright it blinded everyone, and then the light went out.

In the comparative darkness afterward Buffy had to blink several times before she could make out anything apart from the after-image of the spell.

"Did it work?" Cordelia whispered.

"If it didn't I've got a headache for nothing," Amy responded painfully.

Buffy heard a tapping sound, of metal on stone and then Willow said, "It worked. Nothing's coming through that door unless they can cut through three foot of stone."

"Good," Giles said, his voice rumbling pleasantly in his chest where he was still holding Buffy close to him. "Well done. Xander, Wesley, can you make up beds on the couches? I don't think Amy and Willow are up to walking upstairs."

"Thanks," the two girls said wearily.

Giles nodded and concentrated on lowering Buffy carefully to the remaining couch. He knelt beside her and gently brushed her blonde hair out of her face as he examined her. Xander flicked on the main lights, providing more illumination than the reading lamps, and the Watcher winced as he saw the dark bruise marring one cheek.

"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.

"My head hurts like hell but otherwise I'm of the good," Buffy responded tiredly.

Giles shook his head. "I don't want to take any chances. You're going to the hospital."

Buffy smiled wanly. "That sounds good."

The faint fluttering in her lower abdomen came again and her smile widened as she took one of Giles' hands and placed it over her womb.

"Rupert, I can feel our baby move. There's really a person inside me."

Giles could not feel the baby but he looked down into her radiant face and the joy there made him smile. "I thought I'd lost you," he whispered. "I was so afraid . . ."

She put a finger over his mouth. "Shush. You couldn't lose me if you tried."

For a long moment they looked into each other's eyes, reassuring themselves that they really were together again, and then Giles bent his head and kissed her.

"Excuse me," Spike drawled, "but aren't we forgetting something?"

Giles turned and glared at the vampire. "I don't think so. Pray, enlighten us."

"Well, those demons are down but not out. As soon as they've got reinforcements they'll be after you and the brat again. Shouldn't we be making plans to head for the hills?"

Buffy looked at the blonde vampire and sighed. "Is he really on our side?"

"Sadly, yes," her husband told her.

"Why?"

"I'll explain it all when you've been to the hospital."

***

It took them a long time, and a lot of fast-talking, to stop the hospital staff calling the police. Between the humans, not counting Amy and Willow who were asleep back in the basement, they numbered one broken wrist (Anya), one sprained ankle (Wesley), a large gash requiring four stitches (Xander), a CAT scan to rule out internal damage on a huge bruise on Cordy's stomach and numerous smaller cuts and bruises. Giles hovered anxiously while a doctor examined Buffy, until his petite wife told him to go with the nurse and get checked out. The doctor was the same kind man who had examined her when she fell down the stairs and he looked concerned when he finally finished.

"I want you to have an ultra-sound today to make sure everything is alright," Avery told her.

"Is my baby ok?"

He smiled gently and tried to reassure her. "That baby is either lucky or incredibly tough. Nothing seems wrong but we need to take a look just to be certain."

Buffy nodded.

"Is there anything you're not telling me, Mrs Giles?" he asked quietly. "You don't need to be afraid - we're not going to hurt you. But if someone is hurting you-"

"You want to know if Rupert is beating me, don't you," Buffy said. "Rupert would never hurt me. He's done everything he ever could not to hurt me. I know it must seem weird, with the huge age gap, but we really love each other and he would never do anything to hurt me or our baby."

The doctor looked at the honesty in her eyes and sighed internally. "Very well, if you're sure . . . I'll arrange for your ultra-sound."

Giles arrived at the examining room as he finished and Avery was forced to admit that the couple seemed to care a lot about each other. Something in the whole situation was distinctly off, but there was no doubting the love between the two.

***

For the first time since she found out about the pregnancy, Buffy was nervous. Logically she knew that it was unlikely that the baby would be a Slayer, but she still had the slightly hysterical vision of the ultrasound showing her baby with a little stake in one hand and a bottle of holy water in the other. Giles squeezed her hand and she looked up at him.

"It's going to be all right," he whispered, watching the technician setting up the equipment.

Buffy smiled slightly and pulled his hand up to her cheek. "I'm just being neurotic I guess."

"What parent isn't?"

The technician satisfied himself that the machinery was set up properly and left the room. The hospital bed that Buffy lay on was hard and uncomfortable and she felt vulnerable and exposed in the gown she had to wear. All the complicated equipment was intimidating and she wondered why hospitals always had to smell of disinfectant and stale coffee.

Giles used his free hand to carefully brush Buffy's blonde hair off her face and then stroked it gently, trying to relax her. The panic in her eyes was painful, not helped by the knowledge that he had the same fears. How would they cope if the baby had problems, or even worse, had died? If the baby was a Slayer it would not show up on the scan, but after Spike's warning about the _Commedores_ he had to wonder if there was something unusual about the child.

A nurse bustled into the room. She was short, plump and had a reassuring smile with twinkling blue eyes.

"You must be Mr and Mrs Giles," she said as she checked her notes. "I'm Sally and I'll be looking after you today."

Giles could feel some of the tension fall away from his petite wife. "Hi, I'm Buffy."

Sally smiled at her. "You look terrified, dear. Now don't worry - this won't hurt a bit and I'm sure all we'll find is a healthy baby. You're in your fourth month?"

Buffy nodded.

"Good." Sally nodded and deftly tweaked the blanket down so that Buffy's slightly rounded belly was exposed. "I'm going to put some gel on now. It helps our machine see the baby. I've tried to warm it up, but I'm afraid it's probably a bit cold."

The blonde Slayer gasped quietly when the cold gel squirted on her stomach, but then she was too busy watching the nurse to notice it. Sally flicked on the monitor and picked up a probe, which she ran over Buffy's belly, spreading out the gel and finding the best angle to see from. The screen showed fuzzy grey images that neither parent could make any sense of but after a minute the nurse stopped the movement and pointed on the screen.

"Can you see the heart?" she asked, smiling.

The spot she had pointed to was pulsing regularly and Buffy's eyes lit up as she realised that it was the heart of her baby. She looked up at Giles and was surprised to see tears at the corner of his eyes.

"That's our baby," she whispered.

"Yes, love" was all he could choke out.

The nurse moved the probe around a little and pointed out barely discernible legs and arms. The expectant parents watched and marvelled as she did so, holding each other's hands.

After a few minutes Buffy asked, "The baby is . . . normal, isn't it? I mean, it's a bit hard to tell from the pictures."

Sally looked at her and wondered what had happened to produce the fear she saw shining from the young woman's eyes. "Your baby is a picture of health, so far as I can see. Obviously I'll ask a doctor to check over the video tape, but I can't see anything wrong with it."

Buffy closed her eyes for a moment in relief and then smiled at her. "Thank you."

"It's nothing. I can take some photos if you want? You have some very concerned friends out there."

"They're waiting for us?"

Sally nodded and Buffy looked up to Giles, her unspoken plea in her eyes.

"Would it be possible for them to come in?" he asked the nurse.

She cocked her head in thought, her expression uncertain. "I don't know . . ."

"Please?" Buffy pleaded. "Just for one minute?"

"Well . . . all right. But the hospital will have my head if they find out."

Putting the probe down, Sally hurried to the door and looked out. Cordy, Anya, Xander and Wesley filed in quietly and watched as the nurse again showed pointed out the baby's heart and limbs.

"Wow," was all Cordelia could say.

Even Xander had no quip ready and Wesley had a suspicious brightness in his eyes.

"That's what this is all about?" Anya asked eventually. "But it's so small . . . and helpless. And fuzzy. Will it be fuzzy when it comes out?"

"Hon, that's just the picture," Xander explained.

"Oh."

Sally handed Giles and Buffy the photos she had taken from the monitor and cleaned the gel off her stomach.

"If there's anything wrong we'll contact you, Mrs Giles, but you seem to have a very healthy baby." She smiled at them. "You're very lucky."

She shooed everyone else out of the room, closing the door behind her to give the couple some privacy.

"It's beautiful," Buffy whispered, looking at the photographs. "And she's ours."

"Thank you, love," Giles said quietly.

"Pardon?"

"I never thought I'd see this day. Thank you."

Buffy reached up and pulled him down for a kiss. "Thank you. I never thought I could be this happy," she said and kissed him again.

***

Two hours later Buffy was not certain how she felt.

"You're saying that these demons want to sacrifice my baby to open the Hellmouth?" she asked incredulously. "My baby? What's special about my baby?"

"So far as we know, nothing," Wesley said. "But we've never had a Slayer's baby to study so there's no telling."

"So my baby could be-"

"Buffy, we really don't know," Giles cut her off.

"Excuse me, mate, but as the only person to have met a Slayer's brat don't you think you should be asking me?" Spike asked, smirking.

"You've met a Slayer's child?" Xander asked. "Excuse me while I duck for low-flying pigs."

"Is it so hard to believe that I could be telling the bloody truth?" Spike asked with an injured expression.

"Yes?" Willow said.

"Red, I'm hurt, just hurt, that you could think so badly of me."

"Well, you have lied to us before. A lot."

"But this time it's different," the blonde vampire whined.

"That's what Peter said," Buffy pointed out.

"Peter?" Anya asked. "There's no Peter here."

"I'll explain later," Xander said, sighing.

"Could you all let Spike speak?" Buffy asked impatiently. "It could be important. And that's **so** not something I ever though I'd say."

"Thank you, Slayer," Spike said with a smirk. "As I said, I've met a Slayer's brat. There was nothing special about her, unless you count her parents being dead as special. If you ask me the _Commedores_ blokes are making it all up out of thin air, but I don't really want to be around if they actually do manage to open the Hellmouth. That kind of power in those hands . . . makes my skin crawl."

"You are such a comfort," Xander said sarcastically.

"So, we don't even know if this ritual thingy will work?" Cordelia said. "I risked my life and shoes to rescue you from a cult whose whole religion could be a lie? It figures."

"Rupert?" Buffy turned to Giles.

"There's no way to tell unless they perform the ritual," he said wearily.

"So why did they just let you go?" Amy asked, still having that nagging feeling that there was something she should be remembering. "We saw what they did to the special ops unit, but we were able to get you out so easily."

"That was easy?" Cordelia asked.

Wesley smiled grimly. "If they hadn't wanted to let Buffy go we would never have been able to get out. They were holding back and they don't care how many of their followers they lose so long as the Slayer isn't harmed."

"I do not want to meet them when they're at full strength," Xander commented.

"Why would they just let Buffy go?" Willow asked.

"That's easy," Buffy said with a sigh. "They don't know how to look after pregnant humans. The whole time I was in there they never once checked on me or gave me food. If they want the baby to survive until birth they need me to survive and they can't do it."

"So they released you so you act as a breeding . . . thing? Nice," Cordy said.

"Do you think they saved you from the Watchers because of that?" Willow asked.

"Very astute," Wesley complimented her. "The Council planned to terminate the pregnancy as soon as possible so they had to rescue her. Once they had Buffy they didn't know what to do with her so they allowed us to rescue her. She should be perfectly safe until the birth."

"Unless something else happens first," Xander said fatalistically.


	17. Chapter 17

Willow watched Buffy out of the corner of her eye as they sat in the lecture theatre. The seats had not been built for women in the sixth month of pregnancy and, as the Slayer shifted uncomfortably again, she reflected that it was good that lecture would soon be over. They had another two days and then their finals before they were free for the summer and that could not come too soon for any of them. Maintaining a round-the-clock guard for Buffy was difficult when they had college. Despite their belief that the Commedores would not try anything until the birth, and may well have saved Buffy from the Watchers, in her condition none of them wanted to take any chances. Giles had actually tried to stop her leaving the house at all, until the Gang persuaded him that he was being unreasonable and it would not be good for her to be cooped up in the house for five months.

They had all (with the exception of the Slayer) agreed that it was not safe for her to patrol so instead the Gang was trying to keep the vampire population under control and praying that nothing drastic would happen in the meantime. Spike had taken up residence in the basement, partially so they knew where he was if they needed his muscles for a problem and partially because the local vampire population was not pleased to find him helping the Slayer. Giles had bought a new car, rationalising that the old Citroen just was not up to the job anymore. The fact that it was a minivan, built like a small armoured car, and had every modern safety device invented did not pass them by. Nobody asked where he got the money but it made everyone feel safer knowing that nothing aside from a small nuclear device could so much as dent the thing.

Buffy shifted again and sighed, and Willow looked down at the pad the blonde girl was doodling on instead of taking notes.

"Are you ok?" she whispered very quietly.

"Yeah. Backache," Buffy breathed back.

"We can escape in ten minutes."

"Good."

Willow went back to scanning the room and trying to pay attention to their droning lecturer. The class had thinned out since their first day, many students unable to cope with the dull presentation, but Buffy and Willow had managed to stick with it. The fact that they had missed several of the lectures for emergencies had probably softened the dullness.

A flash of blonde caught her eye and she looked down at the blonde girl sitting in the row in front of her. She was not the golden blonde of Buffy, more of a dark blonde, but Willow had noticed her over the year. Actually it was a little embarrassing - she had more than just noticed her. The girl seemed very shy and always left class as soon as the lecturer finished, not stopping to talk to anyone.

Watching the girl, Willow noticed that she was doodling on her pad as well. _Guess this lecture really is boring. Wonder what it's about?_

She was about to force herself to focus on the lecture when she realised what the girl was doodling. _Hey, I recognise that. I'm sure those are the runes for a spell. For the spell to turn wine into water in fact. Could it be coincidence? Nah, no way. Could she be a witch? Makes sense..._

As soon as the lecture finished Buffy turned to her. "Will, the baby's sitting on my bladder. Can we take a quick detour before going home?"

Willow smiled at her, noticing the embarrassed flush. "Sure, no problem."

They walked quickly through the crowd of students and found their way to a bathroom. Over the past couple of weeks they had probably mapped out the quickest routes to all the bathrooms on the campus. As her 'college guardian', Willow had to stick closely to Buffy all day. The blonde girl had actually spent more time in the library than she had ever expected to, and it was paying off in her grades. Joyce was actually starting to feel positive about the pregnancy after seeing that, although none of them were going to tell her why Buffy had been studying so much.

Willow leaned against the wall outside the bathroom with their bags and pulled out an old spell book, its spine showing its age, and began reading.

"Uh, hi," a voice said hesitantly from the other side of the book.

Willow lowered the book and found she was looking straight into the blue-green eyes of the blonde girl from the lecture.

"Hi," Willow said brightly.

"I-I-I...uh, is that Branir's book?" the girl asked with a slight stutter.

"Yeah. You know it?"

The girl nodded.

"I noticed you were doodling in class . . . I wasn't spying or anything but I just saw..."

"I h-hoped you would. I'm Tara, by the way."

"I know," Willow said and blushed when she realised that she had been caught out.

"A-and you're Willow," Tara said with a gentle smile.

Willow nodded.

"Do you want to talk sometime...a-about spells and stuff?"

"I'd love to," Willow said enthusiastically. "I'm waiting for Buffy right now, but maybe we could have coffee sometime."

"S-sure. I'd l-l-love that." Tara blushed.

The redheaded witch grinned at her new friend and began rummaging in her bag for a pen and paper. "Here's my number. Give me a call - I'm usually around...except when I'm not but then I'm not and..."

"I will. You're friend is very lucky."

"Her mom doesn't thinks so - pregnant and still at college didn't go down well."

"No, I meant to have you as a friend." Tara blushed again and began backing away. "Uh, thanks. I'll c-call you sometime."

"Great."

Willow was still grinning when Buffy finally emerged. The long jumper and skirt she wore concealed the growing bulge well and unless you knew it was hard to tell she was pregnant.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked taking her bag.

"Tara," was all Willow said.

***

_**The meadow was sunlit again. It felt at once familiar and strange, as though she had been there before but could not remember when. The blanket was spread out on the grass and covered with plates of food, as it had been before, but there was something different. Ah, that was it - the Mayor was lying sprawled on one side of it. Something felt oddly wrong about that but she put it aside._

_"Hey boss," she said, approaching the blanket._

_"Well, look at that. My Faith is all grown up now," the Mayor said with a huge grin. "Don't we look nice?"_

_Faith looked down and realised she was wearing a floral print dress. "I guess. Can I have something to eat?"_

_"I'd say so. You need to keep your strength up."_

_"Why?" she asked, and grabbed a sandwich as she sat down._

_"Well, you don't think you can stay here forever? You need to get out and see the world. My Faith shouldn't be hidden away from the world."_

" _Maybe I like it here."_

_"Now that's not a positive attitude. Where's that 'look out world, here I come' person that I remember?"_

_Faith shrugged and swallowed. "I don't know. I guess I'm just used to it here."_

_"And that means you can stay here, locked away from everything? Really, I had hoped for better. Could you wipe your hands on the napkin, not the blanket?"_

_The dark Slayer quickly snatched her hand away from the blanket. "Could we not talk about that right now?"_

_"I've never known you to run away from anything."_

_"I'm not running. I just . . . don't feel like talking about this right now."_

_"It's because of Buffy, isn't it?"_

_"That bitch? Nah, I got over that right about when she stuck a knife in my guts."_

_"You're afraid of her."_

_"No!"_

_"You should be."_

_Faith looked up to see Buffy looming over, holding the ornate dagger. The sky suddenly darkened and when she looked back the Mayor had disappeared._

_"Oh sh-"_

_She cut herself off and rolled sideways to avoid the downward thrust of the dagger. The sun went out and the meadow was cast into darkness._

_"B, you don't want to do this," Faith pleaded, crawling backwards._

_"Oh, but I do. You hurt me so I have to hurt you," Buffy said sweetly._

_"Please, no!"_

_Faith stood and began to run. **_

***

"Ladies, your chariot awaits," Xander announced as he pulled up in front of the college.

Buffy awkwardly slid herself into the front seat and Willow climbed into the back. Since the kidnapping nobody was willing to let the Slayer wander around Sunnydale on foot, even if she was with people. So Xander and Giles insisted on driving her if she absolutely had to go out and Buffy, not so patiently, put up with it.

"So, how was your day?" asked Xander when they were safely in the moving traffic.

"It was college, Xand. You figure it out," Buffy replied grumpily.

"Can I take it this isn't a safe topic of conversation?"

"We just had to sit through a bad lecture," Willow explained. "Even I'm not certain what it was about. I just hope it doesn't come up on the exams."

"Do you suppose they have special dispensation for pregnancy?" Buffy asked. "Maybe shifting you up a grade because of the hormones?"

"Sorry, I don't think they do. But I'll help you study when we get back?" Willow offered.

"Let me have a nap first and then we'll study. And maybe a snack."

Buffy was yawning sleepily by the time they got to the house and she headed straight for the bedroom as soon as they got through the door. Xander waved to them and drove off to his shift at the hotel restaurant so Willow was left alone in the house. She pottered around for a while, tidying the living room and washing the dishes, but eventually she was left with nothing to do. For a long moment she stood leaning against a kitchen counter, tying the dishcloth into knots and then unravelling it.

Then she sighed and hung it up on a hook before getting her bag and going upstairs.

"Might as well get started on some work while Buffy sleeps," she muttered to herself.

She had just booted up her laptop and found the books she wanted when the telephone rang. There was a handset out in the hall so she ran to get it before Buffy woke.

"Hello?" she said breathlessly.

"H-hello? Can I talk to W-Willow?" a slightly hesitant voice said.

"Speaking," Willow said cheerfully, suddenly feeling as though the sun had come out from behind a cloud. "Hi Tara."

***

_**It was like one of those nightmares she had as a child. No matter how fast she ran, her pursuer was still there slowly gaining on her. Only, unlike her childhood dreams, instead of her mother chasing her it was Buffy. Her fellow Slayer. Turning and fighting never occurred to her; she just ran on. **_

***

Giles stood beside the bed and watched Buffy sleep. The past few months had been tough on her, despite her brave face, and the strain was beginning to show. Pregnancy was hard on a woman at the best of times, but she was trying to deal with so many other things. In sleep her face regained the almost child-like innocence he so loved, but awake the signs of strain would show again as she tried to be brave and keep everyone from worrying. Only he knew how afraid she was and how much she relied on her friend's support.

That was why this evening was going to be special. She had been studying hard with Willow and the young witch had informed Giles in no uncertain terms that his wife needed a night off to relax before her exams and this was the perfect excuse.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and lightly touched her arm. Immediately she stirred and opened her eyes, a slow grin appearing when she saw him.

"Hi," she whispered, her voice throaty from sleep.

"Hi, yourself," he said quietly.

"What time is it?" She looked at the clock. "Did I sleep that long? Someone should have woken me. It's my turn to cook tonight and I was supposed to do some sociology revision with Will."

"Ssh, it's all right. Willow said you needed the sleep and I've got supper under control."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's got into me lately."

"Nonsense. You're pregnant - you can't expect to carry on as you have done. Now, you've got a few minutes to get ready and then we can eat."

"Ok."

He was gone before she could argue any more and she spend a moment rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before she levered herself upright and wandered down the hall to the bathroom.

Her skirt and sweater still looked reasonably respectable and Buffy did not have the energy to change. So she simply brushed her tangled hair until it shone and washed her face. Feeling much refreshed she wandered downstairs, following the sent of cooking food.

The dining room was dark when she went in and she looked around in confusion. Then a match lit in the corner and slowly moved towards a tall, white candlestick. When that caught and cast its soft light around the room she was able to look around and gasped at the change.

"Rupert, I...I don't know what to say."

The large table had been folded and pushed back to make room for a smaller one that had a crisp white tablecloth on it. Two tall white candlesticks sat in the middle of the table, along with silver cutlery for two and glittering crystal glasses. Dark blue napkins had been fashioned into swans and in one of them lay a single red rose. Giles stood next to the table with a gentle smile on his face and he beckoned her closer.

"Happy anniversary, love," he said and kissed her lightly on the lips before pulling a chair out for her.

"Anniversary?"

"Today it's been six months since we got married," he explained. "I know this isn't how I pictured our anniversary - I had imagined something involving expensive restaurants and violinists - but I though this might do at a scratch."

"It's perfect," Buffy said with a smile, lifting the red rose to her nose and sniffing it. "You're here, and I'm here, so that makes it everything I imagined."

Giles sat down opposite her. "Thank you."

From the corner where he had been standing unobtrusively, Xander cleared his throat. He was wearing his suit from the restaurant where he worked and had a white towel draped over his arm, completing the picture of a perfect waiter.

"Can I get your starters?" he asked.

Giles nodded and the boy disappeared.

"You got Xander to act as waiter? You really have gone all out," Buffy said with a smile.

"We can't go to a restaurant so I brought the restaurant to us."

"Aah."

Xander returned bearing to small plates and he carefully placed them on the table. Then he picked up Buffy's napkin and looked at her questioningly, unfolding it when she nodded. Something fell out of the napkin and landed on the table.

"Would you look at that?" he said with a grin. "Guess something was hidden in there."

He made his escape before Giles could say anything and hid in the kitchen. Buffy, meanwhile, was staring at the ring that had landed in front of her with some bemusement.

"What is it?" she asked eventually.

"It's a ring, love," Giles told her helpfully.

"Well, duh! I can see that. I was asking why it fell out of my swan."

"I suppose someone must have hidden it there."

She looked up at Giles' grin. "You're sneaky. Why are you giving me a ring? Don't I already have one?"

"You have a wedding ring. We didn't have time to get you an engagement ring so I wanted to give you this. I intended to give it to you on your birthday, but it didn't seem appropriate, and then I was going to give it to you on Valentine's Day, but events overtook me so I thought today was a suitable day."

She picked up the ring and examined it. The front half of the white gold band was studded with diamonds and there was an inscription inside the narrow band.

_'B ~ my love forever ~ G'_

"It's beautiful," she said as she put it on her finger and admired the sparkling diamonds. "Thank you."

Giles smiled, flushed slightly and said, "Thank you for everything you've given me over the past six months."

Smiling, Buffy was about to reply when her stomach rumbled. "Have you noticed how our most emotional moments are interrupted by my appetite?"

***

_** The cemetery was dark but Faith ran towards it. Inside there were lots of places to hide. Maybe if she hid long enough, Buffy would give up and she could go back to her picnic._

_"You can't stay locked away here forever."_

_The Mayor's words seemed to mock her and she found that she had tears running down her eyes and her breath was coming in panting sobs as she ran. Faith looked back and saw Buffy not far behind her. Swearing, she put on a burst of speed and then dived behind a statue of an angel._

_Buffy walked past her and Faith held her breath. For a long time she crouched behind the statue, hardly daring to believe that she had lost the blonde Slayer. **_

***

Dinner finished Buffy and Giles adjourned to the living room, where lamps gave the room a soft glow, and sat down on the couch. She curled up against his side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Thank you," she said.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his cheek on her golden head. "No thanks are necessary. It's nice to hear but..."

She slapped his gently on the chest. "I think I need to withdraw all compliments from now on. You're getting far too big-headed."

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the rare chance to spend time alone, and then Giles got up to turn on the stereo.

"No," Buffy said and reached behind the couch. "I found this when I was cleaning the other day and remembered you used to be in a band. Would you sing to me?"

She produced his acoustic guitar and Giles froze for a moment.

"Are you ok?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm f-fine," he assured her after a moment. "I was just a little surprised that you remembered."

"So was I, to tell you the truth. I wasn't listening to you very well at the time you told me, was I?"

"You listened more than I gave you credit for. Do you know, that day in the school when we talked after Eyghon was the first time I suspected that we might have something in common? It was probably the first time I began to understand you."

Buffy smiled at him and held out the guitar. "It was the first day I realised that you might actually have some idea of what I was going through."

"What would you like me to sing?" Giles asked as he took the instrument and began tuning it.

"Oh, I don't know. Anything. I don't think I've ever heard you sing. I bet you sound great."

"Anything? That's a tall order."

He thought for a moment before something occurred to him and he began softly strumming.

Buffy smiled as she recognised the opening bars of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight". She was right - he had a beautiful voice and as he sang she realised that she didn't have to imagine that he was playing it just for her because he was. When he sang the line about "she brushes her long blonde hair" she unconsciously touched her blonde hair and smiled.

***

_** Faith looked around but Buffy appeared to have given up so she stood, brushed herself off and began to walk out of the cemetery. She was almost there when she heard footsteps behind her._

_She did not even turn around because she knew who was there - she just broke into a dead run and made for the cemetery gates. It was like running through treacle; no matter how hard or fast she tried to run she was barely moving. Panicked, she turned and saw Buffy only a few feet behind her._

_It was only a few more feet but she just could not make it. Buffy was closing in too fast and held the knife with a determined expression._

_Faith closed her eyes and made a desperate leap for the gate where sunshine seemed to beckon to her so tantalisingly. Her hands closed around cold iron and she felt warmth on her face at last. **_

***

In a hospital room in Sunnydale, Faith opened her eyes.


	18. Chapter 18

Buffy sat curled against Giles' side, his arm around her and the guitar long forgotten. She held his hand against the growing bulge in her abdomen so he could feel the baby kick and watched his face light with joy each time the tiny infant moved.

"It's beautiful," he breathed eventually.

"It's going to be the star player at the Superbowl in twenty years," Buffy said with a grin.

"Not necessarily," Giles said. "We could be raising the next Alan Shearer in there."

"Alan who?"

"English soccer, love," he explained with a grin. "He's one of the best strikers we've had in years."

"Oh. Isn't that what I said? Soccer's like football, only the ball is rounder."

He covered his eyes and shook his head despairingly. "I don't know why I love you sometimes."

"Because I'm beautiful, funny, smart, witty, athletic . . ."

He cut her off by kissing her and they stayed engaged in that pleasurable activity for some time.

"I guess I should tease you more often," Buffy said breathlessly after a while.

"I guess you should," Giles replied.

Buffy leaned up to kiss him again but groaned as the telephone rang. They held still for a moment and relaxed when the ringing stopped.

"Where were we?" Buffy inquired with a smirk.

"Right about . . . here."

Giles was about to kiss her when the lounge door opened and Xander burst through.

"Hey, G-man, it's for you. It's the hospital," he announced, handing the telephone to the older man.

"Don't call me that," Giles said absently. "Hello?"

Whatever was said on the other end of the line made the Watcher stand suddenly, almost tipping Buffy onto the floor, and begin to pace agitatedly. The colour slowly drained from his face and he spoke in clipped, terse tones.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Buffy asked when he eventually put the phone down.

Giles ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's Faith. She's awake and has escaped from the hospital."

***

Faith looked out from behind the corner of a building to check the coast was clear. Sunnydale police had not become any more efficient over the past year but even they had to make the attempt to find her. 

It had been more than a shock to find out how long she had been in her coma; it had been an unpleasant feeling close to panic. Not only had the Mayor's plans failed, she had lain in a hospital bed for a year and everyone else had carried on with their lives as though nothing had happened! The citizens of Sunnydale had no idea how close they had come to being demon-food, and by rights this place should have been hers. The girl she had 'borrowed' clothes from had been remarkably talkative about the events of the past year and Faith had felt a certain amount of satisfaction that she was still in good shape despite the year of non-movement. Admittedly she looked far paler than normal and she wanted to find some makeup to cover that up, but all considered she was feeling pretty good.

_Guess the Slayer healing is useful for something,_ she mused.

The road was clear of people so the dark Slayer dashed across and walked quickly down the street. She had a plan and a destination in mind and nothing was going to stop her.

_I want to see B's face when she hears I'm out,_ she thought chuckling wickedly. _That'll be wicked cool. It'll almost be worth the downtime to see that. I'll bet she thought she'd graduated to the big time, killing me and all, but nothing keeps a good Slayer down forever._

She spotted the entrance she wanted and slunk through, pausing briefly to make sure no one was watching. The street was still practically deserted and Faith grinned evilly as she walked through the poorly lit courtyard. Light shone from the windows and she crouched so she could look through one of them.

_What the-?_ Instead of seeing Buffy surrounded by her friends, all Faith could see through the window was a couple eating at a table. The man was young, blonde and wore a black shirt while the dark haired woman opposite him had her back to Faith. _Where are they?_

***

"She's really awake?" Xander asked.

Giles nodded and Willow sighed.

"Darn. That was our first coma ever," she lamented.

"Her timing's perfect," Buffy said, curling closer to Giles. "I'm out of action and I don't want any of you confronting her. How are we meant to stop her?"

"Look, pardon me for butting in, but what's so bloody awful about this girl?" Spike asked.

"You mean aside from the part where she's a Slayer gone psycho?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah."

"She's evil," Willow said.

"So?"

"Ok, so evil isn't a big thing for you, but she's evil in an evil way. Not in a 'I'll help Buffy 'cause I have to' way. She'd probably team up with the _Commedores do Mondo_ if she thought there was something in it for her," the witch continued. 

"Maybe she's changed," Buffy said hopefully. "She's been in a coma for a year - maybe she had time to think about what happened and wants to help. She could be lying somewhere, weak and helpless, wishing someone would help her."

"Buffy, she's evil," Willow said gently. "I know I have issues about her, but I don't think she'll change just because she's been in a coma. There's evil in her and I don't think any amount of comas will help her."

"We need a plan," said Xander.

"Going by past performances, she'll head for the biggest evil in town and sign up with them," Buffy said. "She's predictable that way."

"At the moment that would be the _Commedores do Mondo_ ," Giles said wearily. "Her timing is impeccable."

"Wrong," Spike said, shaking his head. "Those buggers will never team up with a human, even a Slayer. They don't need her and she'll be too bloody human for their tastes."

"She's a good fighter, though," Xander disagreed.

"They're better and there are more of them," Spike said.

"Come on, we kicked their butts," said Buffy.

"They **let** us kick their butts," Spike said. "If they hadn't wanted you to escape we'd be in a thousand bits by now."

"Spike's right," Giles said, squeezing Buffy's hand in reassurance. "They have no need of Faith's fighting abilities and if they are as anti-human as he says they are, they'd probably kill her before she could make them an offer."

"There's a plan," Xander said, brightening. "We let Faith go find them, they kill her and we can party."

"It's a little bit unethical," Giles complained.

"I like it," said Spike, grinning evilly.

"You would," said Buffy.

Anya finally stirred from her position next to Xander and spoke. "I don't see why she'd try to kill you all. You don't live where you used to and you don't go to school anymore. How's she going to find you?"

The Gang exchanged glances. "She'll find us," Buffy stated.

Giles ran a hand through his already mussed hair and pulled Buffy closer to him. "We'll have to keep up the guard on Buffy. She'll be Faith's first target and we can't put the baby at risk by letting Buffy fight her. Willow, whenever Buffy's not in class you'll both have to come to my office. Don't, under any circumstances, allow yourselves to be in deserted corridors or rooms. Amy, can you and Willow ward the house?"

The blonde witch nodded.

"Xander, you and I will have to make sure no one is left vulnerable; if any of you need to go anywhere we'll drive you."

The teenager nodded.

"Spike, I know you don't want to slay vampires but could you patrol tonight and keep an eye out for Faith? If you find her, let us know but don't do anything. We need to keep track of her and see what she does before we make any long-term decisions."

"Aren't the police going to be keeping an eye out for her?" Anya asked. "You say she's killed people; isn't that their job and not ours?"

"Anya, how long have you lived here?" Buffy asked. "The police in Sunnydale don't like to investigate anything if they can help it. They'll be doing their best *not* to see her."

"No one is to confront Faith on her own," Giles warned. "We don't need to frighten her more than she already is. Buffy may be right; the time in the coma may have changed her."

"And if it hasn't?" Xander asked.

"Ass-kicking makes a solid plan B," Willow said mildly. "We have Spike now and there are more of us than her."

***

Buffy was already in bed by the time Giles returned from his shower and she had a haunted look on her face as she sat under the quilt with her hand resting on her swelling belly. She looked up as he entered, still rubbing his damp hair dry, and he saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes. Dropping the towel, he was sitting beside her before he even had time to think and pulled her into his arms. To his surprise, Buffy burst into tears.

She cried for several minutes, barely making any noise but soaking the shoulder of the T-shirt he wore. Finally, she began to calm down and the harsh sobs reduced to sniffled hiccups. The tiny blonde woman lifted her head to reveal reddened blue eyes and tear streaked cheeks but kept her arms firmly around his waist.

"Love, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

She sniffed and looked down. "Did I do the right thing last year?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I . . . did I do the right thing? In the end, I almost got myself killed anyway and came too close to letting the Mayor win. Did . . . hurting . . . Faith do anything? Really? Was there something else I could have done?"

"You did what you thought was right at the time. I don't agree with your decision but it was the one that seemed right at the time."

"But what I did made no difference. I still almost sacrificed my life for Angel's - which in retrospect was not a good choice with the Ascension going on - and I almost killed her. How could that have been right?"

"Faith's fate was the bait you used for the Mayor, wasn't it? I doubt there was anything else that would have worked quite so efficiently against him. And the dream you had with Faith afterwards gave us the beginnings of the plan we used. In view of that, you made the right decision."

"But I almost killed her - I wanted to kill her. I became no better than her."

"Love," Giles murmured, pulling her closer, "she hurt you and you wanted revenge, but you never became her. Faith never showed any remorse for her actions but you do. You still feel guilty for what happened to Alan Finch despite the fact that you didn't strike the blow, don't you?"

Buffy nodded slowly.

"There is the difference between you."

"Rupert, I still see her in my nightmares. I see the knife, and the blood - it will never go away, will it?"

"No, love."

"I'll always wonder if there was something else I could have done - some other choice I could have made."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't."

"Thank you."

They sat in silence for a while, Giles slowly rubbing Buffy's back and the blonde woman sheltering in his protective warmth.

"I made you all wet," she said after a while, looking at the damp patch on his shoulder.

"It'll dry," Giles said mildly.

Buffy sniffed again and he reached over to a box of tissues and gave her one. She took it gratefully and blew her nose. Giles looked down at her, with her mussed hair and big Bugs Bunny T-shirt replacing her old silk pyjamas, and began to chuckle.

"What?" she asked suspiciously.

"I was just reflecting that Faith will find things very different to when she, uh, left," he explained with a smile.

Buffy thought for a moment and smiled. "I guess she will. The last that she knew, I was with Angel and you and I barely agreed on the weather, let alone anything else."

"Things have definitely changed."

"Uh-huh. She'll probably go wild when she realises that we've got married and as for the baby . . . I can't wait to see her face."

Giles looked at her shrewdly. "You missed her, didn't you?"

Buffy looked down and began picking at the quilt. "For a while I thought I'd found someone who really understood me. She seemed to know what I felt and was going through and it was something we could share. She made me see a side of myself I've always been afraid of letting out and I'd never felt so alive before. I guess, for a while anyway, it was like having a sister who understood me better than anyone else could."

"And then she killed the deputy mayor and you lost that."

Buffy nodded slowly. "I hated her for that, and for betraying all that we were supposed to stand for. But I think she was right as well; I needed her to toe the line because I was afraid of what I'd do if I let go as well. In the end I hated her for hurting me so much, and the people I loved. But now . . . if she's changed I want to help her."

"Love, you can try but if she's not willing to accept your help . . ."

"I know." Buffy rubbed her face and took a deep breath. "This wasn't how I planned the evening to end."

Her husband smiled at her. "It wasn't what I had planned either."

"What did you have planned?"

"Nothing important now," he said lightly.

Buffy considered for a moment. "Why isn't it important?"

A light flush began to creep up his cheeks and she stifled a giggle. "It just isn't. Now, do you want to go to sleep?"

"No," she said firmly.

"It's getting late, love, and you still have college tomorrow."

"I'm not sleepy right now; I had a nap this afternoon."

"What did you have in mind then?"

She leaned up and whispered in his ear, giggling as his blush intensified.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Buffy reached up and kissed her husband deeply.

"Faith wigged me and I need to feel you close to me," she whispered to him and kissed him again.

***

Faith woke up shivering, her joints protesting at the uncomfortable position she had been sitting in all night. Doorways were not the best place to sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked around at the dirty alley she had found. _This is not right. I should be in fancy hotels, with hot baths and as much food as I can eat. Not lying in doorways and stealing food,_ she thought unhappily.

Standing, she stretched to work out some of the stiffness from the cold and began to work out her plan of action for the day.

***

Buffy snuggled deeper under the covers and tried to ignore the shrilling of her alarm clock. After a few seconds she gave up and one blue eye opened to glare balefully at the offending machine. She sighed and reached up to turn it off, snuggling back into the warmth when it stopped ringing. For a few minutes she lay on her side, enjoying the warmth and the time to lightly doze. Following the mysterious disappearance of the psychology professor earlier in the year all the psychology classes had been cancelled and the students given an automatic passing grade which meant that she did not have to be up as early as usual on some days.

It took her a while to work out what was wrong, but she finally realised that the warmth she was snuggling back to was, well, warmer than it normally was this late in the morning. She wriggled and managed to awkwardly turn around.

Giles lay asleep next to her with a small smile on his face. She lightly traced his face with one fingertip and he began to stir.

"Morning," she said quietly when his green eyes opened.

"Morning love," he replied before kissing her.

She sighed as he released her, half in protest, before she remembered why she had woken him up. "Uh, sweetie, as nice as it is to find you still here, why *are* you still here? Shouldn't you be in college doing professor stuff?"

He reached out and began playing with a lock of her blonde hair as he spoke. "I don't have any classes this morning so I thought it might be nice if I drove you in today."

"Ah." Buffy considered for a moment. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Faith being on the loose would it?"

"Possibly."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Better." Buffy kissed him lightly before sitting up. "Well, whatever your noble intentions, I have to get going if I'm going to make it to class on time."

"Do you want to take the shower first?"

"Not really."

"I'll be five minutes," he assured her, watching with a smile as his blonde wife snuggled back under the covers despite her decision to go to class.

***

When Buffy had showered and dried she stood in front of the wardrobe trying to decide what to wear. Despite being six months pregnant she could, just, manage to disguise it with long sweaters and skirts. She was not ashamed of the baby, but she found it was easier at college if people did not have the constant reminder of her condition so she tried to play it down as much as possible. Looking out at the unseasonably cold weather she picked out a rust coloured sweater and a long brown skirt to go with it.

Shoes were slightly trickier. The bulge of the growing baby made it difficult to bend over so it required some clever manoeuvring to tie laces on shoes, but it was no longer comfortable to wear the high heels she used to wear. Instead she usually picked out knee length, flat boots with zips that were hidden beneath the long skirts. Checking herself in the mirror she decided she looked as good as she could so, with one last smoothing of her skirt, she went downstairs.

In the kitchen the scene was a familiar one. Willow sat at the table eating cereal with a sheaf of lecture notes propped up against the milk jug in front of her. Xander had a bowl of cereal, three slices of toast and a large cup of coffee in front of them and was attacking them ravenously. Her face lit up with a gentle smile as she caught sight of Giles, a book in one hand and an uneaten slice of toast in the other, paused halfway to his mouth. She walked over and took his hand so that she could steal a bite of his toast before sitting down at the table and getting a piece of her own.

He did not notice the theft and simply carried on reading and eating his toast. Buffy poured him a cup of coffee from the pot on the table and then snagged the juice carton from Xander so she could pour her own.

"Morning Buffy," the teenager said through a mouthful of cereal.

"Morning Xander. What are you doing up so early? Rupert is driving us in today."

"Someone volunteered me for the lunchtime shift. And I still have the evening shift tonight."

"Poor thing. Why don't you look for something else?"

"What else am I qualified to do? If there were a job that involved looking for demons in ancient books, eating Ho-Ho's and staking vampires I'd be an expert but nothing in the real world pays for that."

"Buffy, we need to get a move on," Willow said from behind her notes.

"Right. Moving now."

***

"So Spike didn't find her?" Willow asked as she accompanied Buffy across a college courtyard towards their class.

"No sign," Buffy agreed. "He tried everywhere I suggested and a few places I didn't know about and there wasn't a whisper."

They began to approach a crowd of people around a notice board.

"At least you're not alone on this," Willow said. "I bet every cop in Sunnydale is out there looking for her right now."

"Pressure's definitely on. If I were her I'd be getting out of Dodge post hasty."

"But you're not me," a voice said from the crowd.

Buffy turned and came face to face with Faith.

The dark Slayer eyed the blonde girl, taking in the soft sweater, long straight skirt and brown boots. "So, check you out B. Nice. The big girl on campus thing's really working for you."

Buffy in turn examined her opponent, taking in the slightly too small clothes and the makeup plastered on to hide her pallor. "I've been looking for you."

"I've been standing still for a year, B. How hard did you look?"

"Are you all right?" the blonde girl asked, projecting concern into her voice.

"Five-by-five. It's the thing about a coma. You wake up all rested and rejuvenated. And ready for payback."

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"What did you think, I'd wake up and we'd go for tea? You tried to gut me, honey."

"You'd have done the same to me if you'd had the chance."

"Lets have another go at it. See who comes out on top."

Buffy felt an icy wave of fear pass over her at the idea of Faith trying to hurt her and her baby. "It doesn't have to be like this, you know."

"Actually, I think it has to be exactly like this."

"Faith, there are innocent people involved."

"No such animal."

"I guess it was too much to hope that you'd lose your downtime to reflect and grow."

"I could say the same about you. I mean you're still the better-than-thou Buffy. I mean, I knew it somehow. I kept having this same dream about, I'm not sure what it means, but in the dream this self-righteous blonde chick stabs, and you wanna know why?"

Willow slowly began to take off her backpack and edge around behind Faith. This did not look good and Faith appeared to be even less stable than she was before the coma.

"You had it coming," Buffy said, and winced inside at the harshness of her words.

"That's one interpretation. But in my dream she did it for a guy."

Holding her bag as a weapon, Willow continued edging towards Faith.

"Try it Red, and you'll lose an arm," Faith said without looking around. "I wake up and can't find the blonde chick, the guy she tried to kill me for or any of her Scooby Gang. So I think, what can have happened? Could they have all died stopping the Mayor? But no, they went to college and carried on as though nothing happened while I rotted in a hospital. So that's my dream - that and some stuff about big demons, a picnic and a few other weird things. But tell me, college girl, what does it all mean?"

"To me? Mostly that you still mouth off about things you don't understand." In the distance Buffy heard sirens and she sighed with relief. "Uh-oh, I guess someone knows you're here."

Faith heard the sirens and briefly the panic showed on her face before it was replaced with a mask of fury. Quick as lightening, she punched Buffy in the face and the blonde Slayer stumbled backwards. Willow ran towards the dark-haired girl and threw her bag at her, but she brushed it away easily and concentrated on Buffy again. She spun and kicked towards the blonde girl but she managed to duck under Faith's leg and retreat a few steps.

"Have you been slacking on your training B?" she asked as she tried another kick.

Buffy dodged back but it caught her on her thigh. She recovered quickly and tried to punch Faith but the other girl evaded her easily. Willow ran, leapt and managed to tackle Faith to the ground but the other girl threw her and she crashed into a bench several feet away.

Standing, Faith said furiously, "You took my life, B. Payback's a bitch."

Weakly, Willow panted, "Look who's talking."

"See you around," the dark Slayer said and pushed past Buffy.

A police officer ran towards her but she pushed him to the ground and continued on, over the hood of the cop's car and over the field, pushing people out of her way as she went.

Buffy considered following but acknowledged that in her condition she was lucky not to be hurt, although she would probably have a bad bruise on her leg for a day or two. Willow, on the other hand, did not look so good but a blonde girl was already crouched next to her. She walked over and offered the redhead a hand.

"Thanks, Buffy," Willow said gratefully. "I'd forgotten how strong she could be, which was really stupid I guess."

"Brave, not stupid," Buffy corrected.

"I w-w-w-would never have done it," the other blonde girl said and Buffy looked at her with interest.

"Oh, yeah, Buffy this is Tara," Willow said. "Tara, this is my friend Buffy. And that was Faith. She's a little . . . psycho."

"Oh, right," Tara said. "She's the other Slayer, right?"

Buffy and Willow gaped at Tara.

***

"So your mom told you all about vampires and Slayers and stuff?" Willow asked as she walked with Tara down the stairs from Giles' office.

It had been decided that the two witches would make a quick search of the college to see if Faith was till hanging around, although it was unlikely. It would give Giles lots of time to fuss over Buffy and the two witches would have time to talk. Most of all, it would allow Willow to work out how much the blonde girl knew and the idea of some relatively alone time with her had a lot of appeal.

"Right. I guess she figured that as I was going to college near the Hellmouth it might come up," Tara confirmed. "She didn't tell me much about Faith; just that for some reason there are now two Slayers."

"Buffy died a bit a few years ago and Kendra was Called," Willow explained.

"Kendra?"

"She was the first Second Slayer. Then she got killed and I guess Faith was Called."

"So what do we do if we find her?"

"Run, flee, maybe skeddadle. We're not here to engage; this is strictly recon."

Tara smiled at her and Willow smiled in response. 

"What?" the redhead asked, wondering what had brought out that beautiful smile.

"You said recon," Tara said, her smile widening. "You sound like 'Cool Monster Fighter'!"

"Well, technically, Faith isn't a monster. And as far as fighting, I'd be lucky to bruise her fist with my face."

"Oh," Tara said, stopping suddenly with a look of dismay.

"What?" Willow asked, stopping as well.

"Face-punching, I'm not so good with the whole . . ."

She swung her clenched fist in front of her for a couple of seconds, trying to mime.

"Swimming?" Willow guessed.

"Violence."

"Don't worry," Willow said, resting her hand on the other girl's arm without realising she was doing so. "We're sure to spot Faith first. She's like this cleavagy slut-bomb walking around going, 'Ooh, check me out, I'm wicked-cool, I'm five-by-five.'"

"Five-by-five? Five-by-five what?"

"See, that's the thing. No one knows. We'll come up with a plan when we know what Faith's up to and you're plenty safe with me."

Tara patted Willow's hand gently and smiled when the redheaded girl took her hand. "So, um . . . we recon until nightfall?"

"Giles has given us passes to get out of class and they're just doing recaps of the year now, so yes. Then the ritual hiding begins. You could hide with us?"

***

Faith walked down a street after dark, her hands in her pocket, trying to come up with a plan of attack. She had no idea where Buffy lived and no idea what she would do if she did know. The whole world seemed to have left her behind. Spotting a hunting shop she began to walk towards it but stopped when she heard a siren. The dark Slayer ducked into an alley and watched as a police car drove past. Something tried to creep up behind her and she turned.

An ugly demon stood behind her with a packet. "Faith! Your friend sent me. I got a little remembrance from him."

Smiling, she looked the monster up and down. _Just what I need - something to work out my frustrations._

When the demon was moaning on the ground, bleeding from several cuts, she took the packet and checked around her to make sure nobody had seen anything. Another siren sounded and Faith glanced around for an escape route. A ladder above her to a fire escape caught her attention and she jumped up to easily catch the end. She pulled herself up and quickly scaled the ladder. Glancing inside the building she grinned when she saw the dingy conference room.

"Score," she whispered.

It was the work of a couple of minutes to break in and then she could examine the packet. A video-cassette immediately caught her eye and she smiled when she saw the TV and video abandoned in the corner of the room.

Putting the video in the machine Faith watched as the screen lightened and the Mayor appeared. A lump of sadness knotted in her throat and she swallowed down tears.

"Hello Faith," the Mayor said. "If you're watching this tape, it can only mean one thing. I'm dead. And our noble campaign to bring order to the town of Sunnydale has failed. Utterly and completely. But on the other hand, heck, maybe we won. And right now, I'm on some jumbo monitor in the Richard Wilkins Museum surrounded by a bunch of kids sitting Indian style and looking up at my face filled with fear and wonder." He paused, laughed and waved. "Hi kids!"

Faith smiled sadly and watched as he continued. "But the realist in me tends to doubt it. Now, Faith, as I record this message you're sleeping. And the doctors tell me you might never wake up. I don't believe that. Sooner or later you will wake up, and when you do, you'll find the world has gone and changed on you. I wish I could make the world a better place for you to wake up in. But, tough as it is to accept, we both have to understand that even my power to protect and watch over you has its limits. See, the hard pill to swallow is that once I'm gone, your days are just plain numbered. Now, I know, you're a smart and capable young woman in charge of her own life, but the problem, Faith, is that there won't be a place in the world for you anymore. By now I bet you're feeling very much alone."

Faith nodded and wiped away a tear. "But you're never alone. You'll always have me." The Mayor picked up a box. "And you'll always have this. Go ahead. Open the box."

Looking down, Faith realised that there was a box in the packet identical to the one the Mayor held up. "Don't worry. It's not gonna bite. That's my job." 

Her mentor laughed at his joke and Faith smiled sadly again. "Go ahead. Open it." 

She obeyed and pulled out a strange silver device that had rings and chains attached to a small rectangular object.

"Surprise! You won't find these in any gumball machine! See, when you've been around as long as I have, you make friends. And some of them forge neat little gizmos. Just like the one you're holding right now. And here's the good news. Just because it's over for my Faith, doesn't mean she can't go out with a bang." 

He looked down and laughed softly as the screen faded to black leaving Faith alone in the dark.

***

Buffy sat in the living room, curled up against Giles' side, while Willow and Amy argued in the corner with Tara looking on silently.

"It will work," Amy insisted.

"Not without something of Faith's," Willow argued.

"But there must be something," she said and threw her book down to the floor with frustration.

Spike snorted from his seat in one of the armchairs. "This girl is trained to avoid people like us. You honestly think we'll find her if she doesn't want to be found?"

"We can't let her come near Buffy again," Willow protested. "You weren't there today. She's at full strength and Buffy . . ."

"Isn't," the blonde Slayer said flatly.

"W-w-what did she do last time?" Tara asked shyly.

"Just your basic psycho routine. She hates me so she'll come after me and . . . the people I love," Buffy finished with a horrified look. "The only person she can still find is . . ."

***

Joyce hurried down the stairs as the doorbell rang a second time and opened the door.

"Hi Joyce," Faith said with an evil grin.

She pushed the older woman over easily and walked in, shutting the door behind her. "Mind if I come in?"

***

"Stay here," Giles ordered.

"No," Buffy said firmly.

"It's too dangerous."

"We're talking about my mother. I'm coming with you."

She opened the passenger door on the minivan and hoisted herself in. "I'm still the Slayer and I'm not letting her hurt my mother."

"You tell him, pet," Spike cheered from the back of the vehicle.

Giles turned and glared at the vampire. "You aren't helping."

"What a bloody shame."

"Very well," the Watcher sighed and turned to Willow, Tara and Amy standing on the sidewalk in front of the house. "Stay inside and don't let any strangers in."

"We know," Willow said, irritation apparent in her voice. "We're not amateurs any more."

"All the same-"

"Just drive," Spike snapped.

***

Joyce lay on the bed, tied up with some scarves and a curtain tie and watched as Faith went through her drawers.

"Ruby sunset . . . burgundy skyline . . . harlot. Mmmm, way to go Joyce. Now, normally I wouldn't be going for something this dark but I read in some magazine that a year in a coma can damage a girl's natural skin tone." She quickly put on the lipstick and carried on speaking, "Good thing pale is in this year. Or was it last year?"

She finished and kissed the mirror, leaving smears of red lipstick on the shiny surface. "Anyway, for real now. I wanna ask you something, and I want you to promise to be honest, and to not spare my feelings just because I could kill you. Promise?"

"I promise," Joyce said shakily.

"Ok." Faith fluffed her hair a few times. "How do I look?"

Joyce swallowed down her fear. "Psychotic."

"Mmmm, I was shooting for sultry, but hey. Bet I know what you're thinking."

"Really?"

"You're thinking 'You'll never get away with this'," she said dramatically.

"Actually, I was thinking 'My daughter's going to kill you soon'."

"That a fact?"

"More like a bet."

"Whoa, you got a pair on you Joyce, I like seeing that in a woman your age. Guess you can afford to talk that way. I mean, in the world according to Joyce, Buffy is going to come crashing through that door any minute." She flung herself onto the bed next to Joyce "But I don't think so Her bedroom is all bare, nothing left, and there isn't even a pair of her socks in the washing. She doesn't come here much at all - too busy being grown up girl at college to remember dear old Mom."

"You don't know the first thing about Buffy," Joyce chuckled. "Or me."

"Don't I? I know what it's like - you've served your purpose and now she's moved on. She does that with everyone and doesn't care. It's like the whole world is moving on and you're stuck where you are."

"Are you planning on slitting my throat any time soon?"

"Don't tell me you don't see it Joyce. You've played your part, you've squirted her out and raised her up, and now you might as well be dead. Nobody cares, nobody remembers, especially not superhero Buffy. You'll have to accept it soon; she's moved on from both of us."

The bedroom door exploded inwards with a shower of splinters and before the wood had settled Buffy stood in the room, flanked by Spike and Giles.

"Hi mom," Buffy said cheerfully. "We still on for lunch on Sunday?"

"Hi honey," Joyce said, smiling.

Faith leapt from the bed and tried to tackle Buffy but was stopped by Spike throwing her to the floor.

"What, I'm not even good enough to fight yourself?" Faith asked as she stood.

She spun and tried to kick the blonde Slayer, but again the vampire blocked her. Furious, she shoved him out into the hall and they fell through the banister, splinters of wood flying, and tumbled down the stairs.

"Hey!" Spike exclaimed. "Watch the wood!"

Faith grinned. "She moved onto the next vampire already. It'll be a pleasure to slay you."

Spike snarled and his face took on the features of the demon inhabiting him. "Like I'd want to shag a Slayer."

He lashed out with a kick and tossed the dark girl into the lounge. She stood and took up a fighting stance.

"You wish," she taunted.

They fought like creatures possessed and missed the arrival of Giles, Buffy and Joyce in the room. The Slayer's mother winced at the destruction to her house but said nothing.

Finally Faith managed to throw Spike through the glass doors to the dining room and she turned to Buffy. "Wanna try me?"

"Faith, it doesn't have to be like this," Buffy said desperately. "I want to help you."

"You want to help yourself so you're trying to get rid of me," Faith spat. "I'm not helping you."

She lashed out with another kick and Buffy stumbled back to avoid her. Giles growled furiously, surprising Buffy and Joyce, and swiftly kicked Faith following it with a punch. The dark Slayer rocked back on her heels but otherwise did not appear to notice his attack. She kicked him in the stomach and he flew back to hit the wall with a resounding thud.

"It's just you and me now, B," Faith said, bringing up her fists. "As it should be."

She spun and kicked, pulled off balance when Buffy avoided her, and reeled back as the blonde girl punched her.

"Now you're talking," she said victoriously.

Faith lashed out with a punch, which Buffy blocked, and grabbed the blonde girl's hand with her free hand. The Mayor's device was concealed in her hand and as she clasped Buffy's hand a white light shone out from their joined hands. It was brief, so short that Giles almost thought he imagined it, until he saw the shocked look on both girls' faces.


	19. Chapter 19

For a moment Buffy was frozen with shock. One minute she had been fighting Faith and the next she was, somehow, looking at herself. Her body felt different, empty, and with a feeling of deep dread she realised what had happened.

"What have you done?" she asked, her voice shaky from shock.

"Never mind what I've done, B, what have you done?" Faith asked, her voice rising as she began to panic.

This was not meant to happen; the body she now occupied felt strange, swollen and wrong.

Spike and Giles had picked themselves up and were now edging closer to the two stunned women. The Watcher had an idea of what had happened, although not how, and his mind was struggling to cope with the idea. Buffy was speaking with a definite Bostonian accent and Faith sounded almost like Buffy. Put that together with their words and the conclusion became obvious.

"This is not meant to be happening!" Faith shouted. "What the hell have you done to yourself, B?"

In her fury she threw the Mayor's device against a wall and it shattered into hundreds of pieces.

"Oh yeah, now that's the way to solve things," Buffy said sarcastically.

"Well, I don't see you coming up with anything better," Faith said angrily, "and you haven't answered my question."

Joyce edged into the room and turned to the girl she thought was Buffy. "Honey, what's going on?"

"Ask your bitch over there," Faith retorted.

"Buffy, that's-"

"Mom, I'm over here," Buffy said quickly.

"Oh," said Joyce faintly.

"Buffy?" Giles asked hesitantly, looking at the dark haired girl.

"Yeah, it's me," she said.

"Well, isn't this nice. A family reunion," Faith said sarcastically. "Screw this - I'm out of here."

She took a couple of steps towards a window and was stopped by, well, by herself.

"Not so fast," Buffy said. "You're not going anywhere. I want my body back and I want my baby back."

"Baby?" Faith asked incredulously.

"Baby," Buffy confirmed. "Now, either you come with us while we figure out how to put us back . . ."

"Or?"

"Or we'll bring you," Spike said menacingly.

"Try me."

Faith attempted to kick the vampire but the unaccustomed weight of the growing baby threw her off balance and she nearly fell. Giles caught her and took a firm hold on her wrists.

"Get off me!" Faith said from between gritted teeth.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the blonde Slayer. "Not until you promise not to run off or try to hurt my baby."

Faith spat at her.

"In that case . . ."

She nodded to Spike and he rapped Faith smartly on the temple with a stake. The struggling girl went limp and Giles picked her up.

"I am going to have such a headache when I wake up," Buffy complained.

"Is she going to be all right?" Joyce asked. "That hasn't hurt the baby, has it?"

"She'll wake up with a headache in a few minutes," her daughter reassured her. "We just need to get her home and then I guess we'll tie her up."

"So long as you're sure . . ."

"Rupert, can you get her in the car?" Buffy asked.

He nodded and began to carefully pick his way through the decimated room.

"Mom, will you be ok?"

Joyce nodded as sirens began to sound in the distance. "I'll tell the police that you . . . she . . . Faith escaped."

"Thanks."

***

The ride home was made in silence, not even Spike making his usual sarcastic comments. Buffy watched the streets go by, for the first time in months feeling completely alone. She had no baby inside, something she had never thought she would miss, and Giles looked nervous every time he looked at her. Faith was lying on one of the back seats and Buffy found it to be a very strange sensation to watch herself sleeping. The sweater she had so carefully chosen that morning concealed the bulge of the baby a little, but it had been pulled tight across her as they manoeuvred her into the van. Buffy looked down at the clothes she was wearing and reflected that the dark Slayer could not have been comfortable in them. Her assessment that they were too small was correct and shoulders of the jacket pulled uncomfortably.

Shivering slightly, she wrapped the jacket tightly around her and tried not to cry. After everything she had been through, she was now even being denied her baby. 

Pulling up outside the house Giles finally looked at her. "Are you all right?"

"I will be," Buffy replied grimly.

He reached over and hesitantly took her hand.

Buffy allowed herself to smile and said, more gently, "I will be."

***

Willow heard the scrabbling sound of a key in the lock of the front door but made no effort to go and open it. She sat in the living room with Tara, clutching a poker from the fireplace so tightly her knuckles went white. Tara's face was pale with fear but she had refused to go down to the basement with Amy, determined to face whatever Willow was facing.

"Would Faith have a key?" the blonde witch whispered.

"No . . . but then she shouldn't have shown up at college today so there's no telling what she'll do," Willow replied.

"Oh."

Willow reached over and patted Tara's arm. "I'm sure it's not Faith out there."

"Yeah," Tara said uncertainly.

They heard the 'snick' as the lock released and then the door opened and they heard footsteps. Moments later they saw Giles walk past the door carrying Buffy in his arms. Willow sprang to her feet only to see Faith walking nonchalantly behind the Watcher. Blind rage took over and the hacker rushed at the Slayer and hit her with the poker using all her strength. That strength must have been more than she realised because Faith stumbled when the poker slammed into her back and turned to face her. Willow swung the poker again and caught Faith on the arm. She would have tried again but the stronger girl caught her weapon, pulled it out of her hand and threw it down the hall.

"Willow, stop," the dark girl ordered.

"No," Willow said and began thumping Faith. "You hurt Buffy!"

"Will, you don't understand. It's me!"

"Of course it's you! You're . . . you're . . . say, why did Giles let you in?" Willow's punches lost their strength. "You didn't happen to cast a spell on him or something?"

"Would I do that?"

"Uh, yes?" Willow said uncertainly, ceasing to hit her but keeping her fists clenched tightly, just in case. "You're Faith and you do things like that."

Faith rolled her eyes in a gesture that was almost Buffy-ish. "I'm not Faith."

"Really?"

"Really."

"You're not? 'Cause the resemblance in striking."

"I know. You'll just have to - stop inching! You were inching!"

Willow stopped her gradual movements towards the safety of the basement.

"Look, let me get Giles and de-spell him and I can-"

"I'm Buffy."

Willow shook her head to clear it. "W-what? Could you repeat that? 'Cause I'm sure you said-"

"I'm Buffy."

"That's what I thought you said."

"I'll prove it - ask me something."

Willow thought for a moment. "Who's president?"

"We're checking for Buffy, not a concussion."

"Oh, right." Willow tried to think of something that Buffy would know and Faith would not.

As she paused Tara came into the hall from the living room to see what was causing the commotion.

"Hi Tara," Buffy said absently.

"Hi," Tara replied, looking at the dark haired girl intently.

"I've got it," Willow announced. "Who . . . wait, you know Tara? You're Buffy!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course I am. I've been trying to tell you for the past few minutes."

"You switched bodies with Faith? Why? I mean, she's so skanky, and slutty - why would you want to?"

"Believe me, if I had any idea of how it happened I wouldn't be standing here looking like this."

"She's telling the truth," Tara said suddenly.

"Thank you."

"How do you know?" Willow asked.

"Well, uh, a person's energy has a flow - a unity." Tara blushed when she realised she was the centre of attention. "Yours is fragmented. It-it grates, like something has been forced in where it doesn't belong. Plus, you're not acting all slutty and you haven't said five-by-five."

Buffy's face broke into a brilliant smile, which on Faith's face was an unusual emotion to see. "Thanks. Could you guys go downstairs and help Giles take care of me . . . uh, her. I need to change."

Willow nodded and tugged Tara in the direction of the basement while Buffy ran up the stairs. Once she was upstairs she paused, uncertain of what to do. A large part of her wanted a shower and clean clothes, preferably ones that fitted, but another part realised that it could become potentially embarrassing. _But Faith would have been happy to run off with my body if I hadn't been pregnant. Stands to reason she wouldn't have had any embarrassment when it came to this stuff. Oh well, I can't stay feeling icky all day. She'll just have to accept it._

Decision made she headed for the shower.

***

Standing in front of her wardrobe some time later Buffy hit upon another problem. Faith was a couple of inches taller than she was and curvier, so most of her clothes were not going to fit. She pulled out a pair of jeans that she had bought but never returned when she discovered that they were a little too large and then took stock of her shirts. Most of her nicer shirts were going to be too tight, which left her with the large jumpers she had been wearing and an old rugby shirt of Giles' that she wore when she was in need of some 'slob' time.

"Decisions, decisions," Buffy muttered.

Eventually she decided on a dark green jumper and quickly dressed. It was a shock to stand in front of the mirror and see Faith rather than her so she barely glanced at herself before she rushed out of the door. The jeans were a little snug but the sweater was comfortable and she almost felt normal - apart from the emptiness inside where her baby used to be.

***

Giles turned to the stairs when he heard Faith - Buffy, he corrected himself - come down from the main house. She had changed and it was easier to believe that she was not Faith now. The dark Slayer would never have worn the big dark green jumper she now sported, although it complemented her colouring, and her expression was softer than he remembered. The dark jeans were as tight as Faith had worn, but that probably had more to do with Buffy's wardrobe than her desire to look good, and her face was devoid of makeup.

The Slayer paused at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes drawn to the blonde girl tied to a chair in the middle of the room, and Giles walked over to her.

"Buffy? Are you feeling better?" he asked quietly.

"A little. I'll feel much better when I'm back in my own body with my baby," she replied, smiling sadly.

"Quite. I think we all will."

She turned her attention back to the other Slayer. "How is she?"

"Not too forthcoming I'm afraid."

"Too bad. If we want to sort out this mess she'll have to be."

Buffy stalked across the room and came to a stop in front of Faith, crossing her arms and glaring down at the other girl. "Talk."

"What about, B?"

"You know what. How did this happen and how can we get back?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?"

"Simple." Faith sighed and glared up at Buffy. "The Mayor left a present for me. He didn't really tell me much about it - just that it would get me out of the country and how to use it. I have no idea what it is and even less idea how to change us back."

"I don't believe you."

"Too bad. That's all I know."

"If you're lying . . ."

"B, do you think I want to be pregnant? I should be half-way to Mexico, not tied up here for your amusement."

"So this would all be fine and dandy if I wasn't pregnant."

Faith grinned. "Uh-huh."

"You are sick."

"Takes one to know one."

"What does that mean?"

Faith cocked her head to one side and smiled up at Buffy. "Well, last time I was around, you tried to kill me to save the life of a vampire. Now you're pregnant. I'm just putting the pieces together."

Buffy gave a humourless laugh. "You are so wrong it's almost funny. Almost."

The tension between the two girls increased as they glared at each other and Giles decided it was time to step in.

"Buffy, it's perfectly possible that Faith has no more idea of how it happened than we do. I think, in view of everything, we would be best to pursue other avenues."

"In other words, research," Buffy said with a sigh.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Buffy glared at Faith one last time and then moved to the bookshelves where she began pulling out thick volumes and thumping them onto the table. Giles winced slightly each time he hear a thud but said nothing, reasoning that in her present mood it would probably be more than his life was worth to object.

***

It was much later, closer to the early hours of the morning than late night, that Buffy rubbed her forehead and stood, stretching out the kinks in her back. Giles had gone upstairs to make some tea and sandwiches and Willow and Tara had fallen asleep leaning against each other on a sofa. She walked over to the chair where Faith sat, shifting slightly and tugging against her bonds.

"Uncomfortable?" she asked.

Faith nodded.

"Bet your ankles have swollen up too and your back is killing you."

Faith nodded again. "How did you guess?"

"It's the joys of pregnancy," Buffy said dryly. "If you promise not to escape, I'll untie you. I bet one of the sofa's would be much more comfortable right now."

"These ropes are so weak I could have left hours ago if I'd wanted to. But it's not really an option, is it? All I'll get is lumbered with a brat in a few months. Believe me, I want to be back to normal as much as you do."

Buffy paused for a moment and then nodded. "Strangely, I do believe you."

She knelt and began carefully picking at the knots tying the other girl to the chair. There was silence for a moment and then Faith cleared her throat.

"So, B, who's the lucky guy? Couldn't miss the rings, after all, and I can't really see the authorities letting you marry a guy who's been dead for two centuries."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me. I'm not going anywhere in a hurry."

"You sure?"

"Sure."

"Ok. It's Giles."

It took a moment for her words to sink in, and then Faith's eyes went comically wide. Buffy winced and hoped that she had never looked quite so stupid when she was surprised.

"Giles? As in tweed and tea? As in 'raise your hands if eeew'? That Giles?"

Buffy sighed. "That Giles."

"Wow, B. What happened?"

"To cut a long story short, I fell in love."

"You fell in love?" Faith asked incredulously.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"No reason. I just never pictured you for the type to fall in love with someone like the G-man. He's not very . . ."

"He's different to Angel you mean."

"As different as you can get." Faith paused. "How did it happen? Did you suddenly wake up and think 'I must get pelvic with my Watcher'?"

Buffy blushed. "Not really . . . well, yeah, maybe it was a little like that."

"Pick one."

"Ok." She took a deep breath. "Someone cast a spell that got rid of all our guilt and inhibitions-"

"And the horizontal mambo commenced."

"Why do you have to make everything so crude?"

"Well, you did have sex, right? So what's crude about that?"

"You wouldn't understand." For some reason Buffy felt herself becoming annoyed so she concentrated on the knots tying Faith to the chair. "It's deeper than just sex - it's love."

"Never been in love so I have no idea what you're talking about," Faith said wistfully. The momentary softness was gone before anyone could see and she said, "So, that's how you got knocked up?"

Buffy released the last of the ropes tying Faith's legs to the chair and set to work on her arms. "If you want to put it that way."

"What other way is there to put it?"

The other Slayer was silent.

"B? What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, come on. You only shut up when you're sulking."

"I do not."

"Do too."

There was silence again and Faith risked peeking down, only to see the top of a dark head looking down intently.

"I really got to you, didn't I?"

"You've taken my body and my baby and you want to know why I'm angry with you?"

"You're actually happy about this baby," Faith said, surprised.

"Yes. It's something I never thought I could have and now you've taken it away. Rupert barely looks at me and my friends are afraid of me. I'd say you've got your revenge."

Faith was silent for a moment before saying quietly, "I never wanted it to go down like this, B."

"Could have fooled me."

"When I came here I just wanted to meet the famous Buffy and maybe find a place where I could be myself. Then you persuaded me to stay and I thought I'd become part of the ultimate Slaying duo. I wanted to make people remember who I was. I wanted friends. All I got was your leftovers."

Buffy looked up at Faith. "You could have had friends here. You could have had a lot here but you decided to go over to the other side. We tried to be friends with you and we tried to help you but all you did was throw it back in our faces."

"You didn't try anything! All I got was 'why can't you be more like Buffy?' Like I wanted to turn into little miss too-good-for-her-shoes. And your friends? Every time I tried they just had to bring you into it."

"Faith, didn't you ever think that maybe that's because there was room in the group for both of us? It didn't have to be one or the other. Is that why you went to the Mayor?"

"He actually cared about me. About me - not someone else and I'm the next best thing - but about me."

"We cared about you."

"So much you let the Watchers try to take me to England," Faith said sarcastically.

"That wasn't our fault. We were trying to help you - none of us even knew that Wesley knew."

"A good excuse."

"It's the truth. I'm sorry about what happened - more than you can know - and I wish there was some way I could make up for it."

Faith looked at her for a long time and then let out a deep sigh. "You have really changed B. A year ago you would have had a grudge the size of the Hellmouth but now - hell, if I didn't know better I'd say you want to help me."

Buffy released the final rope tying the other Slayer to the chair. "I have changed. Now, you're going to be a bit numb at first so lean on me."

"Don't worry. I can manage."

Faith shook off Buffy's steadying hand but sat down again almost immediately. "Whoa. Maybe that wasn't such a great plan."

"Told ya. Now, are you going to let me help you?"

With Buffy's aid, Faith managed to stand and begin to slowly walk around the room. As the circulation returned to her limbs and the ache in her back subsided a little she became more energetic until within a few minutes she could walk happily unaided.

"B, this is kinda embarrassing," Faith began, "but-"

"You need the bathroom?"

Faith nodded.

"Babies sitting on your bladder do that. Want me to show you around the house a little?"

"Sure, that'd be great."

Buffy gave the other girl a brief tour so she could find some clean clothes for her and then showed her into the bathroom.

Faith attended to necessities and then stood in front of the mirror for a while. It was an odd sensation to see someone else looking back at her and she had fun for a while making faces at herself. That was when something strange happened - she felt something kick her. It wasn't painful, or very hard, but it was definitely a kick. Something was kicking her in the . . . kidneys? It came again and this time the kick was more around her belly than her kidneys. For a moment she could not puzzle out what was making the odd feeling until she looked down and saw her rounded belly.

"Is that you, little guy?" she asked quietly.

The weirdness of what was happening suddenly struck her and she laughed. _I'm talking to a thing that probably doesn't even know I exist. This is beyond crazy._

But still, she could not resist a faint smile when the baby kicked her again. "You want your momma, hey? Well, I can't wait to give you back. She's really missing you."

***

When she came out of the bathroom she found Giles waiting there instead of Buffy.

"Checking up on me?" she asked, annoyed.

"Well, yes. Buffy's downstairs going through some more books, trying to find a way to undo whatever it is you've done to her."

"Look, if it means anything I didn't know things would turn out this way."

"It doesn't mean much at all, actually."

Faith's shoulders unconsciously slumped. "Do you think I wanted this to happen? You must hate me."

"At the moment I'm not sure what I think of you."

"But every time you look at me now, you see her and it hurts. I did that - I'm evil so you must hate me."

"Is that what all this has been about? You trying make us hate you?"

Faith looked at him and he could see the pain and self-loathing she had tried desperately to mask for so long. "No," she said shortly and turned away.

Giles sighed and followed her. _She wants us to hate her but I can't. Buffy was right - she needs our help._


	20. Chapter 20

Willow shifted slightly and realised, with a strange sense of disorientation, that she was asleep sitting up. _Why...?_

Shifting again she realised that her shoulder was stiff because something - someone actually - was leaning on it. As she concentrated she could feel the soft warmth of someone breathing against her neck and the gentle sensation sent tingles down her spine. Cracking an eye open, she looked down to see the dark blonde hair of Tara. Her lips curled up in a smile and she felt a deep sense of peace. Craning her neck, Willow looked down and watched Tara's sweetly innocent face, marvelling at the beauty of her slight smile. Something passed through her at that sight, and the redheaded witch was surprised to feel a sense of completion in that moment that she had never felt before.

The book they had been studying rested on their knees with Tara's hand holding the old pages open. Without thinking, Willow hesitantly touched Tara's fingers. Growing a little more confident she stroked the blonde girl's hand and traced the shape of one of her rings.

Tara shifted and Willow pulled her hand back, startled. Slowly, Tara woke up and shifted to look up at Willow.

"Good morning," she said throatily, opening her blue-green eyes and smiling sleepily.

For a moment Willow could not remember how to speak or what to say. Her gaze was trapped by the green eyes so close to hers and nothing seemed to be moving in her brain. Eventually she managed to tear her eyes away, only to find herself staring at Tara's mouth, wondering how soft her lips were. With an effort, Willow focussed on the top of Tara's head and forced her brain into action.

"G-Good morning," she managed to say. "Did you sleep ok? You can't have been very comfortable there. I'm sorry - I didn't realise how late it got. I should-"

"I'm fine," Tara cut in. "A little stiff maybe, but this is important."

"Thanks."

"I'm sorry we didn't find anything."

"Don't be. Sometimes research takes a long time." Willow smiled down at Tara. "I remember when we were researching the Mayor's Ascension it took us..."

She trailed off and slowly looked over to the chair where they had tied up Faith. The empty chair where they had tied up Faith. Tara followed Willow's gaze and paled slightly.

"Should she be gone?" the blonde girl asked cautiously.

"Uh..."

Both girls looked at each other and, without a word, they stood and found weapons. Tara rooted in a drawer for a stake and Willow took out one of the crossbows and loaded it. Prepared, they went in search of Faith.

They found her sitting calmly at the kitchen table, wolfing down waffles and syrup. Buffy and Giles were nowhere to be seen so Willow held her crossbow aimed at the Slayer's chest while Tara tried to look threatening.

"Hey Red," Faith mumbled through a mouthful of waffles. "Are you gonna shoot me or just look?"

Willow gulped.

***

Buffy sat on the bench in the garden, watching the sky turn from black to steely grey and finally to pale pink as the sun rose. The early morning air was chilly, although it promised to be a hot day, but she did not notice. All she could feel was the cold emptiness where her baby should have been. She was inside a body that was not her own and nothing was the same now. Silently, a tear ran down her cheek.

Giles was sitting at the foot of one of the trees surrounding the garden, uncaring of the dew that was seeping through his jeans, watching Buffy. It was difficult to reconcile the memories he had of Faith with the girl sitting feet away from him. The body was the same but she even looked different now. It was not just the baggy jumper and lack of make-up; it extended beyond that. Something projected from her that was completely opposite to what Faith had been, yet there was a part of her there too. Buffy's expressions crossed her face and Buffy's loving eyes shone out of the brown eyes that before had been hard as stone.

In that endless moment before dawn he realised something amazing; it did not matter what container it came in, he was in love with Buffy's mind, heart and soul. Nothing could ever stop him feeling that way. He watched as a tear stole silently down her face and without even thinking about it he stood and walked over to her.

Buffy looked up, startled, as she felt warm fingers wipe away the tear.

"Hello, love," Giles said softly.

"Hi," Buffy managed before bursting into tears.

Giles immediately sat down beside her and she collapsed, sobbing, against his chest. For several minutes he simply held her, rocking gently and whispering meaningless words to comfort her. He could feel the fear and loneliness pouring out of her so he tried to reassure her that he would never leave. After a while the sobs quietened and Buffy put her arms around his neck and held on to him tightly. Giles rubbed her back in soothing patterns and waited for the trembling hiccups to stop before speaking.

"I'm sorry," he said eventually.

"It's not your fault," Buffy said into his shoulder. "You didn't do this."

"But I haven't been here for you. I've been too concerned about my own feelings..."

"Ssh, you're here now and that's all I need." Buffy relaxed slightly and sniffed. "I just need my Giles and I always feel better."

"Do you need me or a tissue?" Giles said, chuckling quietly.

Buffy punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Just you, silly. You smell good. I like the way you smell." She sniffed again. "Although a tissue would be great as well."

She slowly unwound her arms from her husband's neck and sat back. Giles pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her solemnly.

"Thanks," Buffy said, and blew her nose. "I must look terrible."

He looked at her critically. "Surprisingly, Faith seems to be the type who can get away with crying. You look fine."

"How about that?" she said, wiping her eyes and grinning up at him. "I guess we never saw her like this."

"Tearful?"

"Vulnerable."

"I think she was always vulnerable, she just tried to hide it."

"And she succeeded."

They were silent for a moment as Buffy finished cleaning her face.

"I think you were right," Giles said after a minute.

"I was? When? Do I get a gold star for it?" Buffy grinned up at him.

He put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. "You were right about Faith. She needs our help. I think in a strange way this might even be her way of saying she wants our help."

Buffy was silent for a moment before answering. "I hate to admit this, but I think you're right. What can we do?"

"I don't know."

They huddled closer to watch the sun finish its morning display.

***

Willow slowly lowered the crossbow as she realised that Faith was making no effort to escape and, in fact, seemed to be enjoying her waffles and syrup. She carefully put it on the table, still within easy reach, and beckoned behind her back to Tara.

"Understand, I do not trust you," she said. "I will never trust you and I never wish to. But you aren't escaping and you wouldn't get far with the baby so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt."

"Gotcha," Faith replied and gestured with her fork. "Take a pew and try the waffles. They're really good. Did you know the G-man could cook?"

"Uh, yeah?" Willow said nervously.

"I'm not gonna bite you, so sit down," Faith instructed. "Couldn't get far with this brat anyway."

Not taking her eyes off the Slayer, Willow pulled out a chair and sat down. After a moment's hesitation Tara joined her, keeping a firm hold on her stake.

"Go on, try them," Faith encouraged. "Don't worry, I haven't put anything in them. I do wanna get out of this body sometime soon and I'm told that you're the girls to do it."

Willow took a plate from the pile at the end of the table and slowly put some waffles on it.

"Why aren't you tied up?" she asked, pouring syrup on the waffles.

"I'm pregnant now. Being tied up is really not good for the circulation." Faith grinned. "So, you're little miss magic now. Getting any better? As I recall, you couldn't even turn Amy back into a person last time I saw you."

"I de-ratted her a couple of months ago," Willow said proudly.

"And I suppose you helped her?" Faith asked, indicating Tara.

"Oh n-no," Tara stuttered nervously. "That w-w-was before we m-m-m-m-"

"You gonna get that sentence out today?" Faith asked sarcastically.

Willow risked a quick glance at her friend and was dismayed to see the hurt filling her eyes.

"Stop that," she ordered. "We're trying to help you and you're just doing what you always do."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Hurting people. Can't you stop, just for one moment, and think about what you do to people?"

"Jeeze, sorry Red. I didn't think-"

"That's your problem. You don't think and you end up making enemies out of people when you don't need to. Buffy and Giles tried to help you last time, they did everything they could, but you just carried on with your reign of terror thing regardless of what they were doing. You could have had friends and family here if you hadn't been so selfish and-and-and...and selfish! All you think about is your self! Poor little Faith. Didn't have a great start in life so now the world owes her something. Well, I have news for you - it doesn't! Sure, you had some bad times but we all do. It's what we do with them that counts. You could have been so much more than you are but you threw it all away because you're a selfish, spoilt, mean person."

Willow stopped, panting slightly. For a brief moment Tara covered her hand and squeezed it, sending tiny shivers down her arm, before picking up a fork and breaking off a piece of her waffle.

"I-I had.." Faith trailed off, feeling a strange burning sensation in her eyes. "I had no idea."

"You should have," Willow pointed out. "Buffy and Giles both tried."

"No wonder you all hate me."

"They don't hate you."

"But you do," Faith stated shrewdly.

"You hurt my best friends and tried to take them away from me. And then there was the whole trying to kill me thing. So yeah, on balance I don't like you."

"And you?" Faith asked, looking at Tara. "You're new - what do you think? Is she right?"

Tara froze for a moment before looking at Willow. "I think you've hurt some very special people. But if you worked at it they might, in time, forgive you."

For a moment, Faith's eyes softened but then the icy fury she always held inside reasserted.

"Screw you," she spat and pushed her chair back angrily. "As soon as I get my body back, I'm outta here."

She grabbed a waffle from the uneaten pile and stalked out of the kitchen. For a moment Willow considered following her until she realised the Slayer was going down to the basement rather than leaving the house.

"She seems angry," Tara commented.

"She's always angry."

"You were very brave."

"Nah, just stupid."

***

Faith stomped into the basement, only just restraining herself from ranting aloud, and threw herself down on one of the sofas. Only to jump up again when someone spoke from across the room and curse as a wave of dizziness overcame her.

"Hey, take it easy there," a voice said as strong, cool arms steadied her. "You can't go jumping around in your condition."

"Yeah?" Faith said roughly, shrugging off the arms. "What would you know?"

"Oh, I've been watching y-the Slayer for the past couple of months. It's getting harder to move with the brat inside you."

Faith slowly sat down and watched as the strange man walked around her and sat down on the table. It was the blonde vampire that attacked her earlier and as she watched he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one up.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Smoke ain't good for the baby."

Spike chuckled. "Well, well, well. Getting a bit protective are we?"

"Get lost."

"Love to, pet, but I can't." Spike stubbed out the cigarette. "I'm stuck here as much as you are."

"What are you doing here? Did B open a refuge for pathetic inadequates? Or are you the latest toyboy?"

"Would you believe I'm here out of the goodness of my own heart?"

Faith 'looked' at him.

"Bloody hell, you're as bad as she is. Doesn't anyone think I'm innocent around here?"

"You're a vampire. You're never innocent."

Spike put on a hurt face. "I'm deeply, deeply upset that you're so suspicious. As it 'appens, I'm here to help. And because I like this world."

"Come again?"

"I don't want to die so I'm helping."

"Die?"

"Yeah. Didn't they tell you? A demon cult wants to sacrifice that brat you're growing and use it to open the Hellmouth. They'll pull out some nasty that's going to destroy every last drop of humanity on the planet, including me."

Faith swallowed and felt a thread of fear twist around her mind. "Kill the baby?"

"Oh yeah. Someone has a real yen for destruction and that kid is their way to get it."

The Slayer curled a hand protectively around her belly.

***

"I guess we should go and check on Faith," Buffy said as the sun began to warm her.

"We should."

"Promise me something?" Buffy turned her head and looked up into Giles' green eyes. "Please?"

"Anything, love."

"Promise me that no matter what happens, even if I'm stuck this way, you'll never stop loving me?"

Giles tilted her chin up and gently kissed her lips. "I promise."


	21. Chapter 21

Faith and Spike were sitting in sullen silence when Giles and Buffy made their way down to the basement. Willow followed them with Tara hovering uncertainly in the background as Buffy walked over to Faith and glared down at her.

"We haven't found a way to reverse the spell yet," she began without preamble, "so you'll have to go to class for me."

"Stuff that," Faith said angrily.

"Sorry, no can do. You took my body so you have to take my place until we get put back."

The dark, now blonde, Slayer smirked up at Buffy and looked over to Giles. "Does that mean I get everything that's yours?"

Buffy followed her eyes and immediately took a threatening step towards the other girl. "If you-"

"Don't worry, B, I wouldn't want to step into your territory."

For a moment Buffy eyed the other Slayer suspiciously but decided not to comment. "This is only temporary. As soon as I get my body back..."

"I know, I'm out of here," Faith finished. "So much for the happy homecoming."

"Actually I was just going to say that as soon as I get my body back I'll be able to go to classes myself. What you do afterwards is your own decision." Buffy paused. "You could have friends here if you wanted."

"I'll think about it," Faith said, her voice showing her lack of belief in what Buffy had said. "Why do you want me to go to classes?"

"Because I have exams next week, and if you don't go to the classes I get a black mark. I think I've got enough of those already this year."

"And why would I want to help you? It's not like you'd do anything to hurt your baby, would you?"

A look of sorrow passed over Buffy's face and for one, brief moment Faith regretted her words. Then the cages she had built around herself closed in again and she blocked the thought out.

"You'll help me because you won't like the other options."

"And those are?"

"I could tie you up again, or there's always forcing you to listen to Spike's whining."

"Hey!" the vampire objected.

Faith glared at the vampire. "I'll go."

"Good. Will, what time are you leaving?"

Faith stood quickly and glared around the room. "I do **not** need an escort. You think I'll run off with the brat inside me? Come on, show a little trust here."

Giles moved closer to the Slayer and tried to look reassuring. "This is for your own protection, Faith. You aren't in any fit state to be wandering around Sunnydale on your own. There are forces at work here that you don't know about."

"This is because of the demons that want to kill the baby, right?" Faith asked, realisation dawning along with a strange sense of...could that be guilt?

Buffy's eyes widened. "How did you...?"

Shrugging, Spike put his hand up. "That was me, pet. Didn't know it was a secret. Sorry and all that."

"It wasn't a secret. Not exactly," Willow said slowly. "We just didn't want to worry you, Faith. After all, it's almost completely unlikely that anything with try to kill you. We think."

"What's the deal with this thing, then?" Faith asked, the strange feeling intensifying into something that, if she thought about it too deeply, might even be concern. "What would want to hurt an innocent baby?"

"I thought you said there wasn't any such thing," Buffy said quietly.

"I lied. I do that a lot."

Giles gave Faith a Reader's Digest version of the events of the past few months and, as he did so, was surprised to see the Slayer curling a hand protectively around her bulging abdomen. _Could she actually be feeling something for the baby?_ he wondered. _Have we actually found Faith's vulnerable side? On the other hand, it wouldn't be the first time she's put on an act for our benefit. But Buffy wants to believe that the girl can be redeemed so much. We have to try._

As he spoke, Faith slowly paled and eventually sat down on the sofa. Spike watched this with interest but said nothing, content to watch the drama unfolding in front of him. For the first time in her life, Faith actually started to feel concern for something outside of her own problems. Ever since she could remember she had assumed that everyone hurt people so when she did things to others, it did not matter. Nobody seemed to have cared about what happened to her, even when she did terrible things. Now she was feeling the first stirrings of alien emotions - hope, protectiveness, compassion, all mixed in with healthy dose of guilt. It was overwhelming yet at the same time it felt good.

"So you see, Faith, Willow is only acting as your bodyguard and it's in your own best interests to allow her to help you," Giles finished, watching the other girl carefully.

"So, you're the badass witch now, Red," Faith said slowly, watching as a slow blush ran up Willow's face.

"Uh, kinda. I guess," Willow admitted. "More of a resolved and determined witch than an actual badass witch."

"I think you're a g-g-great badass w-w-witch," Tara said shyly.

Faith grinned as she watched the redheaded girl's blush intensify, and her grin widened when she saw the completely clueless expressions on everyone else's faces. _Maybe there's some fun to be had after all,_ she decided wickedly. "Come on, then, Red. Get your gal pal and saddle up. Can't be late for B's classes."

"Gulp," Willow commented, following Faith out of the basement.

Tara hesitated for a moment, waved a quick goodbye and followed her. For a moment Buffy stood rigidly beside the sofa and then Giles gently enfolded her in his arms.

"It's going to be all right," he tried to reassure her.

"Say that a few more times and I might believe you," she sighed.

"Don't mean to rain on your party, you know, but I am still here, mate," Spike pointed out. "Are you two going to make googly eyes all day or are you going to do something useful?"

"Got any ideas, Spike?" Buffy asked, not making an effort to move. "Cause you're really not helping right now."

"Well, I thought you'd be itching to check out the Commedores now that you're back to strength, so to speak." Spike leered at her. "Unless you were planning to test-drive that new body of yours."

Buffy could feel Giles stiffen with indignation and quickly took steps to prevent their unsupportive ally being staked. 

"I'll go and have a look. I don't suppose you'd like to help, would you?"

Spike sat back on his chair and put his feet up on the arm of a sofa. "Love to pet, but the sunlight tends to kill me. It's a bit of a bugger, but that's life."

"What a shame," Buffy grinned.

"I'll get changed and meet you in the kitchen," Giles said, releasing her and turning towards the stairs.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

Buffy crossed her arms across her chest. "Why are you getting changed and meeting me?"

"Because I'm going with you."

"You can't."

"Who says?"

"I say. I'm the Slayer, and I say these things are too dangerous for you to come along."

"And I suppose that's why you're going, is it?" Giles sighed. "We're supposed to be a partnership. Where you go, I go. If it's not too dangerous for you then it won't be too dangerous for me."

"Rupert, be logical. I'm the Slayer. You're not. What's dangerous for me usually kills other people. I can't risk this."

Giles crossed the floor in a couple of long strides and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Where you go, I go. You aren't planning to fight these things, are you? Then it's just reconnaissance and you know I can do that just as well as you can. Love, I promise not to take any risks but I have to go with you. I can't just send you out anymore, not when I know what I do and feel what I do. It's a good thing I'm not your Watcher anymore - I'd be terrible at it if I was. Don't argue, please?"

Buffy considered his words for a minute. "Ok. But it's strictly recon. We aren't doing anything that might possibly constitute a danger."

"Fine with me."

"Then sod off and let me get some sleep," Spike said grumpily.

***

Faith shifted uncomfortably in the hard wooden seat. Somehow, classes had always sounded much more interesting than they actually were. Whatever the guy at the front was talking about went so far over her head she could not even tell what subject she was in. Although considering she dropped out at the end of her freshman year of high school to escape from Kakistos it was not surprising. She stared down at her sheet of paper, now covered with doodles, and hoped that Willow was taking notes. All she could understand were the 'ands' and 'its' and somehow she doubted that the other Slayer would find a page of cartoons particularly helpful.

A kick in the small of her back reminded her of why she was there and she was unaware of the slight smile that crossed her face. She felt another kick, closer to her side, and began to gently rub the spot. Faith almost jumped when she felt the baby kick her exactly where she was rubbing and a look of wonder stole over her face. For once, she did not make an effort to hide her feelings.

Out of the corner of her eye, Willow watched Faith. It was a surprising, and enlightening, experience. The Slayer had a look of astonished pleasure on her face and she seemed completely unaware of anything around her. Always before, Faith's eyes had been shuttered and closed off, along with her emotions, but Willow thought that for the first time she might actually be seeing the real Faith. And the most surprising thing was that 'the real Faith' looked like a nice person.

***

"Where." Bang. "Are." Bang. "They."

For variety, Buffy slammed Willy against the bar, rather than the wall, and glared at him.

"I told you - I don't know!" the bartender protested.

"C'mon, Willy, you know everything that goes on in this town. A troop of large, butt-ugly, horned demons has gotta be newsworthy." Buffy grinned cruelly, the effect enhanced by Faith's features. "You don't want me to get mad, now, do you?"

"Please, no!" Willy squealed.

"He obviously doesn't know anything," Giles said softly, carefully examining a stake he held. "Why don't you finish up here and we'll try elsewhere, hmm?"

Buffy held Willy down with an elbow and put her hand casually around his neck. "Sounds like a plan."

"Hey! Watch the-urck!"

For the first time in her life, Buffy began to see how useful Faith's reputation was - and got a little insight into the rush the other girl felt from these encounters. It was intoxicating and frightening at the same time. _Is this why she turned out the way she did?_

"All right! I'll tell you!" Willy turned his head slightly and looked towards Giles. "Just get her off me!"

Giles paused and then nodded to Buffy, who slowly released the snivelling bartender.

"Talk," she demanded.

Willy straightened up and rubbed his throat. "Thank you. They're in a cavern under St Paul's Church. The sewer runs right by it."

"Good," Buffy said sharply and turned away.

"No trouble. Just don't tell them who sent you!"

"I'll think about it," Buffy said over her shoulder as she walked away, followed by Giles.

Outside the building, Buffy managed to keep a straight face for about three seconds before collapsing against the wall in a fit of giggles.

"D-did you s-s-see his face?" she panted. "What a rush!"

"It was rather, uh, exhilarating," Giles admitted, chuckling. "Not that I condone that sort of thing. At all."

"Of course you don't. You weren't the person telling me to knock Ethan's teeth in, I'm sure of that. Completely different person." Buffy grinned up at her husband, watching the struggle to suppress a grin on his face. "You were quite the rebel in your youth, weren't you?"

"Well...uh..."

Buffy took a deep breath and straightened. "We'd better go and take a look."

"Yes, that would probably be advisable."

As they walked along the road, hand in hand, Buffy frowned slightly. "Do you think that's why Faith turned? I just sort of...let go and it was such a rush. Did she get addicted to that feeling? Maybe, now that I sort of understand it, I can help her somehow."

"Love, I think you might be on the right track but it all depends on whether the girl wants our help." He squeezed her hand gently. "Understanding her is important, but it won't do us any good if she doesn't want our help. When she was doing all those terrible things, I'm sure there was a part of her that was crying out for help, but she was also terrified to ask for it."

"You understand her, don't you?" Buffy asked, a thought suddenly striking her. "You went through the same things as her when you hung around Ethan. But you managed to come back from it."

"Yes, love, I know what she's going through because I've been there myself."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

Buffy sighed. "I thought that Angel would be the one who could identify with her best, but it should have been you. If I had taken her to you instead, maybe she never would have gone to the Mayor."

"We were all to blame, Buffy, you know that. We all made mistakes at that time - it wasn't just one person to blame."

"But still..."

"We know now."

***

"So, what exactly is this?" Faith asked, eyeing the brownish lump sitting on her tray suspiciously. "It doesn't look edible."

Willow poked at her brown lump. "I think it might be meatloaf. Or possibly spaghetti sauce."

"Huh." Gingerly, the Slayer lifted a forkful to her mouth and chewed. "Well, it's definitely not edible."

She pushed the tray away and attacked a bowl of ice cream hungrily. "This is much more my thing."

For a few minutes there was silence as Willow, Tara and Faith attempted to eat their lunch. The morning classes were over and they only had one class that afternoon, much to Faith's relief. Her admiration for Buffy had grudgingly gone up a notch as she sat through the lectures that morning. She was not even certain whether they were all in English! _Maybe that's why she's the great Slayer and I'm just the second one. She's got a brain._

"So, Red, what's the deal with B and the G-man?" Faith asked to distract herself from her depressing thoughts. "How long have they been doing the horizontal tango?"

"They got married about six months ago," Willow replied, willing herself not to blush.

"I didn't ask that," Faith persisted. "I asked when they got it together. Was this another of the Gang secrets I wasn't in on?"

"No!" Willow said immediately. "Nobody knew until they ran away to Vegas and got married about six months ago. Uh, that didn't really sound right. There was this spell and it...well, they sort of didn't know how they felt until then and then they...got married and...uh...I'm not explaining this very well."

Faith spent a moment decoding the Willow-babble. "So, they had a weird spell that made them realise they can't live without each other and they ran off to get married. And then the pelvicy action started."

"Well, yeah, but in a good way," Willow said hopelessly.

"Sounds very Hellmouthy."

"That's the way things go around here."

"B seems...different," Faith commented cautiously.

"She's changed a lot since you...uh, left," Willow said. "All the stuff that happened with the Ascension made her change. I think she had to grow up at last. And now there's the Giles thing and it's been really good for her."

"You missed her," Tara stated quietly, looking at Faith closely.

Faith snorted, but her eyes were uncertain. "Me miss little Miss Goody-Two Shoes? Not on your life. Are we going to classes or not?"

***

Buffy landed in the sewer with a splash and looked around her with an expression of distaste. "Why is it always sewers?"

"Because, love, it's where they feel most comfortable," Giles said, handing her a crossbow. "Evil tends to feel uncomfortable in the penthouse suit of the New Sunnydale Hotel."

"Huh."

With the familiarity of long partnership, the two lovers worked together to keep watch as they made their way down the stinking tunnel. In the distance, guttural chanting gradually became louder, punctuated by shouts and fearsome ululations.

"Noisy lot, aren't they?" Buffy commented.

Giles flashed her a grin but said nothing, concentrating instead on moving as soundlessly as his wife. The sewer turned a corner and brightened, the chanting also growing louder. Several feet down the tunnel there was a patch of light, evidently an opening in the wall, and the noise was coming from there.

"Bingo," Buffy breathed.

They crept closer and Buffy cautiously peered round, into the cavern.

***

"You do that every day?" Faith asked incredulously as the small group walked into the house. "How do you stay awake? Even high school classes are more interesting than that."

"It wasn't that bad," Willow protested. "Ok, so maybe the fun-factor in 'Modern Revolutions' was missing, but the Jane Austen class was pretty cool."

"Riiiight," Faith drawled. "You got anything to eat around here?"

"It's in the kitchen," Willow pointed out helpfully.

Tara tugged on her sleeve nervously and Willow was immediately distracted.

Faith looked between the two girls. "Maybe I'll just find something myself," she muttered and went in search of food.

"I-I think, or at least I'm sure...that I think, maybe, I might have an idea," Tara said nervously.

Willow looked down the hall to see Faith eating a wedge of chocolate cake in the kitchen. "Let's go upstairs," she suggested and beckoned the blonde witch to follow her. "Is this an idea to put Buffy and Faith back where they should be?"

Tara waited until Willow closed her door before answering. "Yeah. I-it's...wow, I like your room. It's really...you."

"Thank you," Willow said blushing. "I used to share with Buffy but, well, and now I share with Amy, when she's here, but it's mine and I don't have to hide things the way I did at home and I'm losing track of the conversation so...what's your idea?"

"Do you have anything of Buffy's?"

"I...oh! I have this ring." She pulled the ring off her finger and showed it to Tara. "Will it do?"

"I-I think there's a way we can, ummm," she pulled a book out of her bag, "The passage to the nether realm. There-there's a ritual. If you can find her there, you should be able to see how to put them back."

"It it'll help her..." Tara sighed and Willow looked at her, worried. "What?"

"Well, the nether realm exists beyond the physical world. Accessing it is..." Tara shrugged. "I-it-it's kind of like astral projection. It's very intense. I'd have to be your anchor, keep you on this plane."

Willow did not even have to think about her answer. "I trust you."

"It-it's not like anything we've ever-"

"I trust you." The redheaded girl smiled. "I've only known you a few days but I trust you."

Tara looked uncertain but nodded. It took them a couple of minutes to gather the equipment and close the curtains and then they were ready. Willow looked to Tara expectantly and the blonde girl gestured for her to sit on the floor. She complied, sitting down Indian style, and Tara put some pillows on the floor behind her before joining her. She shifted until they were sitting side-by-side, facing opposite directions, and then looked at Willow.

"You're sure?" she asked.

"Completely."

Tara nodded and slowly placed her thumb on Willows forehead, lips and chest before resting her hands on her legs. Matching each other action-for-action they used their outer arms to stroke the floor as though stirring water while whispering,

> "Sightless sea, Ayala flows through the river in me.  
> The inward eye, the sightless sea.  
> Ayala flows through the river in me.  
> The inward eye, the sightless sea.  
> Ayala flows through the river in me.  
> The inward eye, the sightless sea..."

As they repeated the chant light began to flow from the hands, creating a circle of light around them. Slowly, they raised their other hands and pressed them together palm to palm. It became harder to breathe as the spell continued, although neither of them was aware of it. The circle of light slowly rose until it was level with their heads and their eyes met. Slowly, Willow fell backwards onto the cushions, breaking contact with Tara, and moaned as waves of pleasure ran through her.

***

The scene in the cavern below them was like something from a really bad horror movie. The opening in the tunnel wall led onto a narrow ledge thirty feet above the floor of the cavern so if the two watchers crouched down they could see everything that went on below. Buffy shuddered as two Commedores demons casually butchered a small green demon and threw the remains onto a brazier. The rest of the demons stood in a circle around them, chanting in a hideous language, and as the small demons carcass burst into flame they shouted and pounded on the ground with metal staffs.

The chanting resumed and Buffy was horrified to see another small demon being lead into the circle of Commedores. She drew back into the shelter of the tunnel where at least she could not see what was happening. In all the years she had been a Slayer she thought she had become immune to worst that demons could do, but she could not watch that.

After a moment Giles joined her and silently pulled her into his arms. They stayed like that, simply holding each other, until Buffy judged that she could move without vomiting.

"They are not getting my baby," she said fiercely. "I'll die first."

"As will I," Giles promised. "Have we got everything we came for?"

"Yeah. Let's go home, please?"

"Your wish is my command, love, always."

***

Faith sipped slowly at a glass of milk as she sat in the kitchen. The past day had been strange, to say the least, and she was being forced to do something completely alien to her - think. It had always been Buffy who spend the days contemplating her life and place in the universe, and Faith had always found the trait annoying, but now she was thinking more than she ever had before. _Who ever would have thought that B would hook up with Giles? He's so stuffy, and she's a Slayer - not exactly a match made in heaven. I thought. Maybe if she can change...who am I kidding? I'm who I am. I can't change that. They'll never forgive me...who says I want their forgiveness? I'm Faith; I'm evil, and I like that. End of story._

She turned around as she heard the front door open and close at the same time as she heard footsteps clattering down the stairs. There was an excited babble of voices and then Slayers, Watchers and witches invaded the room.

"We did it!" Willow exclaimed as soon as she saw Faith. "We worked out how to put you back!"

The redheaded witch suddenly found herself the focus of several pairs of eyes. "I-it was Tara really. She came up with the idea. I h-had nothing to do with it. Really. Now could you all stop looking at me like that?"

"What did you find, Willow?" Giles asked gently.

"This." Willow proudly opened a small box to show them a glowing green stone. "It's a Katra, or the home-conjured version anyway. It should switch you back."

"How does it work?" Buffy asked, eyeing the glowing object curiously.

"Y-you hold it, a-a-and then you t-touch Faith with it," Tara explained shyly. "It should w-w-work."

"Will it harm my baby?" asked Buffy, crossing her fingers.

"I-it shouldn't," Tara replied. "You'll just, sort of, s-s-swap back."

"Well?" Buffy asked, raising an eyebrow at Faith. "Are you ready?"

"Totally," Faith said breezily, covering the aching pain she suddenly felt at the thought of losing the baby she could feel inside her. "Can't wait to get out of here."

"Alright, let's do this." Buffy sat down on a stool opposite Faith. "You don't have to leave, you know. You could stay here."

"B, you don't want me messing up your pretty life again. Let's get our bodies back and I can leave."

"But-"

"Give me the Katra-thingy," Faith demanded, glaring at Willow.

The redhead held out the box and the angry Slayer took out the glowing green stone. She locked eyes with Buffy and held out her hand, cocking her head to the side. Slowly, Buffy reached out and clasped hands over the stone.

Brilliant light shot out from between their joined hands and bathed the room in white. Both girls closed their eyes and grimaced. As the light dimmed, they sat for a moment concentrating on breathing slowly. Buffy was the first to react, a slow grin crossing her face as she felt her baby move inside her again. She opened her eyes in time to catch a fleeting look of pain and loss on Faith's face before the other girl closed down again.

"There," Buffy stated unnecessarily.

Giles walked over and put a hand lightly on the blonde girl's shoulder. "Buffy?"

"Yeah, Rupert, it's me again," she replied before being swept into a bone-crushing hug.

Everyone's attention was on the blonde Slayer so Faith quietly slipped away.

***

The Sunnydale bus depot was not the town's most salubrious area. Xander's long-ago remarks about the urine smell and winos had not been exaggerated and it was a singularly depressing place to spend any time in. It fitted Faith's mood perfectly.

She had lifted some money from Giles' wallet before she left so there was nothing stopping her from leaving. It only took her a minute to buy a ticket to L.A. and the ticket guy did not even realise he had just helped a criminal to skip town. Now all she had to do was wait for a bus to arrive and take her away.

_You don't have to leave, you know. You could stay here._

Buffy's words seemed to hang in the air around her and Faith angrily wiped a tear from her face. This was not the time to get weak.

_You could have friends._

Buffy's words seemed to haunt her, mocking the loneliness she had given into so easily. What if they were right? Could they actually be offering her a way out? As the bus drew up, Faith looked down at the ticket in her hand.


	22. Chapter 22

Giles looked at Buffy, sitting alone on the sofa with a slightly forlorn expression, and thanked every deity he knew that Willow and her friend had been able to work their spell. Buffy's freshly scrubbed face was devoid of make-up, her hair was still damp from the shower and the bump on her pregnant abdomen showed through the long shirt she wore, but he could not have loved her more. His Buffy was back where she belonged, in her own body, and he would not trade it for the world. And strangely, he knew it was not because he could not love her if she was not blonde, or tiny, or any of the other things he loved about her - it was because she was happy again. He knew he loved her no matter what she looked like, or where she was, but seeing her miserable had been more than he could cope with.

As she turned to face him, and her face lit up, he released the tension he had not even been aware of holding and smiled back at her. Crossing the room in several long strides, he handed her the glass of juice he had been carrying and sat down next to her.

"Feeling better?" he asked, sitting back.

Buffy immediately snuggled up against his side and took a long drink.

"Much," she replied when she had drained her glass. "I missed this."

Giles raised an eyebrow curiously and Buffy reached up to brush her lips gently against his before elaborating.

"I missed snuggling with you. I missed you keeping me warm. And I missed our baby. I never realised before how much I'd miss having someone kick me in the kidneys every five minutes. Thank you."

"For what?"

"Not hating me when you looked at me in her body."

"But I-"

"I wouldn't have blamed you if I had - Faith isn't exactly my favourite person right now." Buffy picked up one of his hands and began idly tracing patterns on the back of it. "I thought she might stay but..."

"Ssh, love. It's not your fault she didn't."

Buffy shrugged and forced the frown off her face.

"And there's another thing I have to thank your for."

"Oh?"

She put his hand gently on her swelling abdomen. "This. Thank you."

"I think it was a two person job," he told her, grinning.

"Yeah, but it couldn't have been done without two people - one of whom is you."

He gaped at her and she looked up, giggling as she saw his expression.

"What?" she asked, puzzled.

"Y-you said 'whom'. Are you feeling all right, love?" he asked, still slightly wide-eyed and looking at her as if, at any moment, he expected her to grow horns or fly.

Buffy groaned theatrically. "You've infected me. I've spent way too much time with you. All those years, honing my vocabulary so you'd be able to glare at me and I go and blow it all with one misplaced 'whom'. How am I ever going to live it down?"

He chuckled. "You're going to try to convince me that you've been able to speak understandable English all the time I've known you? Love, even you aren't that good an actress."

She frowned and swatted him on the shoulder. He winced and, immediately contrite, Buffy stroked the spot.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry. Sometimes I don't know my own strength. I'm a mffuggh-"

She was cut off as Giles took the chance to begin tickling her and wrestled her down onto the sofa. Giggling, she tried vainly to push him off but it was no good - his agile fingers knew exactly where to move and she couldn't draw breath long enough to do more than squeak occasionally. Buffy tried to wriggle away and Giles simply captured her hands above her head and continued tickling her with one hand. The joy and laughter on her face was more than enough reward for his efforts. He knew that, had she wanted to, she could easily toss him across the room so he smiled devilishly and continued. Somehow, as she squirmed to avoid his fingers, her shirt rode up to expose an expanse of creamy stomach. Immediately, Giles took advantage of that to tickle her more effectively and Buffy began squirming and wriggling more violently than before, although still without pulling her hands out of his hold.

"C-can't...breath," she eventually panted.

Giles stopped his onslaught, watching with concern as the Slayer tried to catch her breath. Then she looked up at him, and the twinkle of mischief in her eye was the only warning he had before he found himself turned on his back, with a vengeful Slayer straddling him.

"Now, what can I do?" she asked thoughtfully.

Nimble fingers found every ticklish spot on him, and some he had been unaware of before, in a couple of minutes. Now it was his turn to squirm and he was very glad that Xander and Willow had found excuses to leave the house for a few hours; he would never live it down if they found out how ticklish he was. Even as her hands were busy torturing him, Buffy leaned down and gently nipped him on the neck and he was unsurprised to feel a wave of desire shoot through him despite her distractions.

"Do you surrender?" she asked, grinning.

"Never," he vowed.

"Guess I'll just have to..."

This time her nimble fingers didn't attempt to tickle him to death; they pulled his shirt out and began torturing him in other ways while she kissed him passionately. With the little capacity for thought he had left, Giles sent up a fervent prayer of thanks that no one was going to interrupt them because he was sure he couldn't have stood up at that moment.

From the vague direction of the door he heard someone clear their throat and both Watcher and Slayer froze. Slowly, Buffy raised her head and groaned.

"Faith," she said flatly, and he carefully refused to smile at her disappointed expression.

"Am I interrupting anything?" the dark Slayer asked, amusement tingeing her voice.

"Oh, no, of course not," Buffy replied, annoyance tingeing hers.

"Huh. From where I'm standing it looked like you two were about to go at it like bunnies, but I could be wrong."

Giles felt heat flood his face and was unsurprised to look up and see Buffy blushing just as violently. This really was the most awkward situation he could think of.

"Look, you two were obviously about to get down and dirty so I'll just...uh...leave," Faith trailed off uncertainly.

"No," Buffy protested quickly. "We...uh, you don't have to leave."

She sat up, pulling her shirt back into order, and ran a hand through her mussed hair. "I was hoping you wouldn't leave."

"You were?" Giles heard the hope in Faith's voice and pushed down his irritation at her interruption.

Now that Buffy was no longer sprawled across him, he could sit up and readjust his partially opened shirt. Admittedly, he felt...uncomfortable that someone had walked in on such a personal moment but he knew deep down that they could resume their activities any time they chose. Helping Faith, though, was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"We were," he said, hoping the dark Slayer did not notice the rasp in his voice. "If you want it, there's a place for you here."

"I hoped, but..."

"We want you here," Buffy cut in. "If you want help, and you're willing to accept our help, then we want you here."

Giles could see Faith take several deep breaths, and her eyes looked slightly watery, but she kept her composure. "Thank you."

Buffy nodded and looked to Giles, her violent blushes now faded away. She raised an eyebrow and he nodded imperceptibly. Sometimes, they did not even have to speak to communicate. _A side effect of our relationship,_ Giles reflected, and then paused as a few memories assailed him from the Library days. _Or possibly not. Could it be that we always knew how suited we were?_

"Come on," Buffy said. "I'll show you to your room."

As his wife planted a quick kiss on his lips and left the room, Rupert Giles reflected that he was indeed a very lucky man.

***

Faith followed Buffy through the house and upstairs. Instead of showing her to one of the rooms upstairs the blonde Slayer opened a door that she had not noticed before, next to the linen closet, and disappeared through it. Curious, Faith followed and found herself in a narrow stairway. It took a sharp turn a couple of steps up and the stairs were steep, creaky affairs but nothing a Slayer could not handle, even an emotionally exhausted Slayer.

The stairs ended in the middle of a large room with a low, sloping ceiling. It took the younger Slayer a moment realise that she was standing in the middle of the attic and she looked around with interest. The ceiling was a few of inches above her head in the middle of the room, but it sloped down and at the walls was barely a foot from the floor. Skylights in the ceiling made the large room feel light and airy despite the dust covering the floor and mismatched furniture. Twin beds were position at one end of the room, with a nightstand between them, and a sofa, chairs and throw pillows were grouped at the other end.

"It's not much, I know, but it's yours if you want it," Buffy said, looking at Faith hopefully.

The older girl seemed to have recovered from her earlier embarrassment, Faith noted, and now perched on the bare mattress on one of the beds.

"We've got extra bed stuff downstairs, you're more than welcome to it, and I'm sure we can do something about the décor. We kinda intended to fix this up as a spare room but never got round to it. You can do whatever you want to it - well, anything without destroying it - and I know the gang will help you. What do you think?"

For the first time in her life, Faith thought she knew what all the cheesy writers meant by 'having a lump in your throat'.

"I think..." she began and then trailed off to clear her throat, cursing herself for turning into a sap at the first sign of someone helping her. "I think it's great. Thank you."

Buffy beamed and, strangely, Faith found that she wanted to return that smile. _Now you're gonna get all sappy about this? This is meant to be a 'save the kid, save Buffy, get outta Dodge' kind of deal_

"Great," the blonde Slayer said happily. "Now, do you want to get yourself moved in or can I give you the grand tour? Without the tying you up part this time."

Faith lifted one shoulder casually. "This is me moved in. I travel light."

"Oh." Buffy seemed to deflate slightly. "You could, maybe, borrow some stuff? And I could take you shopping after classes tomorrow."

"You'd do that?"

"Well, duh. Of course I would. Will. Be taking you shopping. It's gonna be a little tricky for you to live here without owning anything."

Turning her back, Faith began minutely examining the glass in one of the skylights. "You don't have to. I mean, I can work something out."

"I do have to. This time I'm going to do things differently, starting with this. You are now a part of this, admittedly weird, family so you're going to be treated like one."

"Do I have to?"

For a moment Buffy paused, praying she had heard wrong. Then Faith turned and she saw the grin on the other Slayer's face.

"Too serious?" she asked.

"B, you gotta learn to lighten up. You're so intense and serious all the time and you never get to enjoy life. Well, I know you enjoy **some** aspects of life - you and the G-man looked like you were enjoying yourselves earlier - but..."

"Faith, do you remember what happened the last time I lightened up? Somebody died and you turned..."

"Evil." The dark Slayer nodded. "I know what happened. I was there. I'm not saying you have to turn into me but do you have to act like the Apocalypse is on it's way all the time?"

"It usually is," Buffy retorted.

"See? There's that negative thinking again."

"What do you suggest?"

"Take a moment every day to say to yourself 'life is fun'. Once you've got enough practice you can try the next stage."

"Which is?"

"Do something fun. Just for a few minutes. And let yourself laugh out loud. Pretty soon you'll find yourself not even having to think about it."

Buffy stood and stretched. "You have been watching too much TV. Oprah is a really bad influence."

Faith smirked but said nothing.

"Look, I have to go help with supper. I thought you'd, maybe, like some time to rest. Supper will be in an hour and you could sleep. Or make this place a little homier. Or something."

"Maybe."

The blonde Slayer walked across the room to the stairs but paused before she went down. "If you ever need to talk about stuff...I know I did this all wrong last time...Rupert...Giles...when he was younger something happened and I think you might have something in common. Would you at least consider it?"

Faith nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'll...I'll keep it in mind."

***

Buffy bounced into the kitchen and Giles handed her a knife.

"How did it go?" he asked as he went back to stirring a steaming pot on the stove.

"Strangely well. I think she might actually be serious about this whole 'changing' thing. She isn't going to come out and say it but I really think she wants to make a go of things. Uh, what am I meant to be chopping?"

"Salad," Giles replied, pointing to a pile of lettuce and tomato. "Are you sure about putting her in the attic? It's not very..."

"I know. That's why we're going shopping on Saturday."

"We are?"

"Uh huh. The attic needs decorating and the nursery needs creating."

"May I ask where we'll put the nursery? This house is getting a little overcrowded right now."

"I'll ask whether Amy can shift back into Willow's room. Not ideal, but we need that room." Buffy sighed. "To think, when we first bought this place it looked too big."

"We have expanded somewhat since then," Giles said with an affection smile.

"I've expanded. Everyone else has just multiplied," Buffy said grumpily.

***

Faith lay on her back on one of the twin beds staring up at the ceiling. It was hard not to stare at a ceiling that was twelve inches from her nose but that was not the reason for it. The reason she was staring at the ceiling rather than trying to turn the attic into something vaguely liveable was that she was trying to sort out what had happened.

All right, she knew **what** had happened. She just had no idea why. This morning there had been nothing she wanted more than to leave this house, and the people in it, and never return. Actually, killing the lot of them might have helped, but mostly she just wanted to leave and run as far and as fast as she knew how. Now she had a place to stay, a family that apparently wanted to adopt her and a conscience that had told her to stay and protect them all. _No, not all. Mostly that damn baby. I'm here because I actually feel something for that baby and I want to protect it. And the idea that it could hate me if it found out what I'm like, what the person who carried it for twenty-four hours is like, makes something inside me hurt._

That was a thought that was never getting out. She might be able to tell Buffy all sorts of things but there was no way in hell that she was ever going to admit that she wanted something to not hate her. To even be proud of her. The 'screw you' attitude she had been carrying around for so long apparently got lost somewhere on the way to the bus station, as evidenced by the moment of happiness she had felt when Buffy smiled approvingly. _Not so evil now, huh?_

At that moment Faith felt something drop onto her stomach. Holding in a blood-curdling yell (just) she tensed and looked down. To find a pair of large green eyes staring straight back at her. It had tabby ears three sizes too large for its face and a little pink tongue sneaked out to lick its nose.

_B has a cat?_

The little creature nodded.

_B's cat can mind-read?_

The cat crawled further up her chest and licked her nose.

_B's cat can't mind-read or it would realise how much I want to kill it right now._

Gizmo nuzzled her head against Faith's cheek and then curled up on her chest. After a moment she began to purr.

_Nah, don't need to sleep thanks. Not at all. I'm one...wide-awake...Slayer. No need...of..._

***

"Do you think Faith is ok?" Buffy asked, looking up as though she could see the other Slayer through the layers of ceilings. "It's awfully quiet up there."

"She looked done-in when she got here so I would guess she's asleep." Giles put the lid on his saucepan and left it to simmer. "I think she needs it."

Buffy neatly sliced a tomato into several pieces. "I think you're right."

The former Watcher crossed the kitchen to stand behind Buffy, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing a kiss on top of her head. "You did a good thing today."

"Yeah, I guess I did."

The front door banged open and they heard the chatter of the rest of the Gang entering the house.

"Do you want to tell them or shall I?" she asked.

***

Telling them about Faith turned out not to be the bad part. The bad part was sitting through supper while everyone tried not to pretend that they were desperately uncomfortable about the whole thing. Add in several glares from Spike as he went out into the night and Amy acting strangely and they were all feeling a little on edge when they retired to the lounge after clearing up.

Buffy and Giles took one sofa, the Slayer reclining while her husband gently rubbed her feet, while Xander and Willow took the other. Amy nervously sat down in an armchair and Faith sprawled in hers with her legs over one arm. Shifting again, Amy glanced around the room.

"Uh, guys?" she began.

"What's up?" Willow asked.

"Uh, you know my father?" Amy did not give them time to reply. "Well, he's moving to Boston with his work and he wants me to go with him. I said I would. So I'll be leaving next week. Uh, is that ok?"

There was silence in the room and then Faith spoke. "This isn't about me moving in, is it? Because if you really hate the idea that much I can always leave again."

"No, it's got nothing to do with that. It's just timing. Dad asked me today and...he's all the family I've got so..."

"We understand," Willow said gently. "We can't replace your dad so you should go with him."

"Really?"

"Really."

"You won't be mad? Even after all the stuff you went through to make me human again?"

"Yup, even after that."

Amy's face split into a large grin. "You guys are the coolest! Promise you'll all write me?"

"We promise," Willow told her, glaring at Xander, Giles and Buffy. "We'll all write to you. Give us your address and we'll even email you."

Nodding happily, the blond witch said, "Great. If it weren't for Dad you'd be the best family I could ever have."

"We'll take that as the compliment it was obviously supposed to be," Giles said, straight-faced.

Somewhere deep in her mind, Amy could feel something. There was something she had been trying to remember...something important...something she had to tell them all. But try as she might it would not surface and then Willow was tugging her upstairs to discuss new wardrobes and spell-books.

***

Xander left for Anya's not long afterwards and, after five enormous yawns in a row, Faith admitted that she needed to go to bed. Although she denied it emphatically, Buffy knew she had napped before supper and she had just barely resisted the impulse to let her know that she had seen the dark Slayer asleep with Gizmo. Barely.

With Faith gone, Buffy scooted over to Giles and rested her head against his chest. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer so that she was half-sprawled across his legs.

"Tired, love?" he asked.

"No," she told him, stifling a yawn.

"Of course."

She peaked up at him. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Me? Never."

"Now I know you're lying." She snuggled closer. "I'm glad she didn't leave."

"So I gathered."

"You are ok with her staying, aren't you?"

"Faith needs our help and, if she's really serious about changing, I don't think we can send her away." He sighed sadly. "We all made mistakes last time and I think it's time we rectified them."

"My thoughts exactly."

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the rare peace and quiet. Looking up, Buffy watched her husband. He was staring into space and his expression was almost grim; it certainly was not the look of a happy man. She admitted to herself that Giles was at heart a serious man, at times too serious, and that was part of the reason she loved him. It made the times he was playful and silly that much more precious. _Like this afternoon,_ she mused with a small smile. _If I had known he could be like that before...we probably would both have been arrested._

But over the past couple of months those serious moments, when she could see him fretting and worrying, had become more pronounced and more frequent. It was not hard to work out why. Peeking up at him again, Buffy resolved to get rid of that pensive worry-face, at least for one night.

She reached up and kissed him on the throat. Just barely brushing her lips on his skin, but it was enough to remind him of where he was.

"Love?" he asked, smiling gently.

Pulling herself up into a kneeling position Buffy kissed him, using every ounce of knowledge she had acquired over the past six months of loving him to drive him wild. His response was immediate and gratifying - he tightened his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. Hands tangled in hair, lips brushed over every expanse of exposed skin and Buffy smiled triumphantly at the passionate response she had provoked.

Her plan was going very well indeed until she yawned. It was a jaw-splitting, fist in mouth size yawn and as soon as she could close her mouth another one followed on its heels. When she could at last open her eyes and look at her husband, his breathing was under control again and he was looking at her lovingly.

"Love, whatever you're planning you're too tired for it. We can wait."

"No, I-"

He put a finger over her mouth. "It's been a busy day, you've been through two major spells in less that two days and you're pregnant. You may be the Slayer but you aren't indestructible and my child certainly isn't."

Buffy pouted and Giles leaned down to delicately nip the protruding lip before speaking again. "Rest now, love tomorrow."

Another yawn settled the matter and Giles picked her up as though she was made of nothing more substantial than sunlight. Carefully, hoping no one had decided to put anything on the stairs that he could trip on, he carried his love upstairs and into the bathroom where he gently set her down. Seeing her questioning look, he wordlessly began filling their big old bath with warm water. Buffy sat down on the stool to watch as he selected relaxing scents to pour into the steaming water and unbutton his shirt.

"Watcher-mine, I think this a great idea," she said, eyeing his bared chest appreciatively.

"Slayer-mine, there will be no funny business," he told her, pushing off his jeans.

"Nothing funny here, that's for sure," she replied, enjoying the show.

Sighing theatrically he turned off the taps when he deduced there was enough water in the tub and turned to her, trying to look stern but failing miserably because it was difficult to look stern when only clad in boxers.

"Are you going to undress or do I have to do it?"

Smirking, Buffy held out her arms. "I think I'll need a little help.

_Why did you think this was a good idea?_ he asked himself as he undressed his wife. _She certainly won't be trying to rest. You should have just...too late now. Bloody hell._

He helped her into the deliciously warm water and climbed in behind her. Buffy leaned back against his chest as she felt the water soothing away all the tenseness and stress she had been under for the past couple of days. There was no way she was turning down this ideal opportunity to test out the bathtub fantasy she had always had, but she would just rest her head on this warm, solid chest behind her for a moment.

After a few minutes silence Giles looked down to see Buffy's sweetly sleeping face. He tightened wrapped his arms around her waist and let her sleep for a while until he judged that they needed to get out or end up shrivelled like prunes.

Buffy's sleeping mind took a while to work out what was happening and then she woke up to find Giles slowly wiping a sponge over her chest.

"Mmmphgg," she managed intelligently.

"Awake, love?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

She found herself being scooted forwards slightly so he could get out of the bath and then he helped her out. A few minutes of entertaining towel drying later (and a silent promise to Willow clean up first thing tomorrow) and Buffy was wrapped in a fluffy robe and being carried into her bedroom. Giles somehow managed to pull the covers back and slide her in without dropping her and then he slid in next to her.

"I'm not tired," she warned.

"Of course you aren't."

She put her head on his shoulder and rested a hand across his stomach, pleased when she felt his arms pull her closer and wrap around her.

"I love you," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Love...you...tooooo..." she said, drifting off to sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

Buffy was having the most incredible dream. Giles was there, they were in a secluded cottage where nothing would ever interrupt them and she was being thoroughly kissed. The dream felt so real she could taste him, and feel his warm lips caressing hers. In fact...she opened her eyes and smiled slightly when she saw that at least part of the dream was real. Very real, and kissing her just as thoroughly as dream-Giles.

She did some quick mental addition. _Yup, did Friday, remember classes and shopping with Faith - therefore today is Saturday,_ before letting her mind stop working and other senses take over.

***

Sometime later Buffy lay sprawled across Giles' chest feeling very satisfied and cheerful. _This,_ she decided, _is the best way to start a weekend._

"Good morning," Giles said huskily, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it.

"It is, isn't it?" Buffy agreed, kissing a convenient bit of flesh near her mouth.

The tiny shudder that ran through her husband's body was quite gratifying. _Nope, you haven't lost your touch Summers._

"What do you have planned today, love?" he asked her.

"Bit of this, bit of that," Buffy replied off-handedly before experimenting with the reaction she could get from kissing him just the teeniest bit lower on his chest.

"S-sounds, uh, interesting," Giles said.

Buffy pouted at the lack of reaction this time. "I thought," kiss, "that we could," kiss, "get the paint for the nursery," kiss, "and Faith's room."

The final kiss was just below his jaw and sent another shudder through his body.

"That's nice love," was his only reply. "What colours were you thinking of?"

She thumped her head on his shoulder and groaned softly.

"What's wrong?" Giles asked grinning, and then quickly suppressing the grin when she looked up and glared at him.

"You aren't cooperating," she complained.

"Aah. Do you mean like - bloody hell!"

The expression on Giles' face was a mixture of pain and annoyance, so Buffy followed the direction of his eyes to see Gizmo firmly attached to his leg through the sheet covering him. The little cat had needle-sharp claws (as Buffy had discovered when trying to give her worming tablets a few weeks ago) and she was gnawing on a fold of blanket, occasionally peeking up to see what reaction she was getting.

"Love, would you mind detaching your cat?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Buffy sat up, wrapping the sheets securely around her torso, and carefully pulled Gizmo's claws out of her husband's leg. Then she held the squirming cat up in front of her face and gave it a severe lecture on propriety and the value of not clawing the hand that feeds you, or even the leg that propels the hand that feeds you. The little animal looked suitably chastened by the time she was finished so she held it for a moment before turning back to Giles.

"Rupert, I think that was our cue to get up. Gizmo needs feeding and so do I."

Giles sighed regretfully but began moving to the edge of the bed. "I suppose you're right. We have a lot to do today and it won't get done lying here."

***

Faith grinned as she watched the glowing couple enter the kitchen hand in hand. "Good morning."

Buffy blushed at the other Slayer's leer. "Uh, hi. Gizmo. Needs feeding. She's, uh . . . yeah, I'll just . . ."

She turned to the cupboard and began hunting for a can of cat-food while Faith smirked at Giles. "Hi."

"Yes, well, uh . . . I'll just see if the paper's arrived yet." Giles beat a retreat to the front door.

_Yup, who says you have to be evil to have fun?_ Faith thought with another evil grin. "So, B, decide to sleep in a bit this morning?"

Faith watched the blonde Slayer take a deep breath before turning round. "You know what was happening this morning. Do you just enjoy embarrassing us?"

"Hell yeah," Faith admitted. "Come on, tell me you don't enjoy watching him get all hot and flustered."

"But-but I like being the person who does it!" Buffy protested. "You . . . it just seems wrong. I'm his wife; it's my right."

"Aah, I understand. I think. This is a territorial thing."

"Well . . . I suppose it is in a way."

Faith smiled. "I'm not looking to muscle in on your territory. It's just hard to resist sometimes. You're both so cute together and I can't help wanting to . . ."

"Embarrass us?"

"Yeah."

"Mortify us?"

"That too."

"Have a lot of fun at our expense?"

"Possibly."

Buffy put the bowl she had been filling on the floor in front of Gizmo, who began eating as though she had not been fed for a week. "All right."

"I - uh?" Faith stopped short. "You . . . what?"

"I said, all right."

"But-but-"

"Just don't get carried away."

"Okaay," Faith said uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

Buffy shrugged. "I can't stop you teasing him - us, but I can ask you to stop when I think he's had enough. Or when I want to take over."

"Huh."

"Breakfast?"

Giles wandered into the kitchen, his head buried in the paper.

"Anything interesting?" Buffy asked, kissing her husband on the cheek as he passed her before pulling out a box of cereal.

"Not particularly," he said, not taking his eyes from the page as he sat down at the table opposite Faith.

"For a dull newspaper, you sure seem interested," Faith commented.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "It's a tradition. Paper, breakfast, tea. The three things he can't cope without on a Saturday morning."

"I can cope," Giles said absently, "I just prefer not to."

The two girls exchanged looks that clearly said 'men!' and Faith helped Buffy set out breakfast. It was one of the chores she had never had to do before, this working together to create a meal, and it was strangely satisfying to work with someone else on something that had no more significance than a desire to eat. Always in her life, meals had been solitary affairs with her only company being the television or a magazine. As soon as the smell of brewing tea began to permeate the kitchen Giles put the paper down and the dark Slayer listened curiously to the quiet chatter between husband and wife. It was nothing important, just a discussion of the day's plans and gentle teasing, but it was filled with love. Faith's only experiences with married couples previously had been the bad side - her parents, before they divorced, and her friends' parents when she was growing up - and she began to have the feeling that maybe she had missed something there. Not that she had intention of going out and getting herself hitched, but maybe it was not the pain and misery that she was familiar with. Was this what a family should be like?

"Faith?" Buffy asked, breaking into the younger girl's thoughts. "Are you gonna put that bowl down or just stare at it all day?"

"Uh, right." Faith put the bowl on the table and sat down. "So . . ."

"We're going to the hardware store this morning. Do you want to come with? You could, maybe, get some paint for your room?"

The dark-haired girl stared at Buffy for a moment, surprised. "You were serious about me decorating?"

"Of course I was."

Faith looked at the other Slayer and realised that there was complete sincerity in her eyes. "Ok. I'll be there."

***

Burdened with bags and pots of paint, Giles followed his wife into the house. _How can one child need so many things?_ he asked himself again. _Paint, mobiles, more paint, paper borders . . . was there anything at that store she didn't buy?_

Following him with two cans of paint, Faith grinned. "It's your own fault. Just remember that."

The Watcher grimaced. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Sweetie?" Buffy called from the kitchen. "Do you want some tea? Oh, and where did you put the cute mobile? I need to show it to Willow."

"It's your fault," Faith whispered as she brushed past and ran up the stairs.

"Buffy, love, weren't you supposed to be studying this afternoon?" Giles asked as he entered the kitchen with his bags of baby-gear. "And I'd love some tea."

"How can I study when I'm so excited about the stuff we bought? I promise, as soon as I've shown it all to Willow and had some lunch, I'll study. I think Tara's coming round as well."

Giles moved to stand behind her, resting his hands on her swelling belly. "Good. Not that I want to be seen as nagging you or..."

"I know. You just want me to do well so that you don't feel so bad about having me barefoot and pregnant already."

He had to grin at that. "You know me rather well, don't you?"

"It's why I love you."

***

Faith stood at the top of the basement steps, just out of sight, and watched. It was a familiar sensation, to be on the outside looking in, but it had never hurt this way before. Buffy was curled up on the sofa, books scattered around her and papers resting on her swollen belly. The large table was also covered with books and papers, along with abandoned mugs and plates, but there was order in the confusion. As Faith watched, Willow pulled one of the books closer and Tara pointed at something on the page. It was a scene she had watched many times, during the library days, either watching the gang researching the latest earth-shattering prophecies or revising for the latest world-altering exam. But this time there was something different about it. She was on the outside yet something told her that if she asked they would let her in. This time everything was different.

Maybe it was because they were all different people to who they had been last year. Buffy's relationship with Giles had matured her, Willow no longer seemed to be the child in an adult's body and even Xander was taking responsibility for himself. Or maybe it was that she was different. Faith freely acknowledged, just to herself, that she had caused most of the problems before. It was her selfishness and refusal to accept help when she needed it that had led her to the Mayor and all that he represented. Certainly Miss Post's betrayal and Buffy's obsession with Angel had not helped, but at the end it came down to her mistakes driving her away from the people trying to help her.

But this time she had been invited into their home, invited to share their lives, and Faith knew that they were determined not to let her go again. For the first time in her life she had a family. It was a good feeling. 

Her unusually deep thoughts were broken into when she felt something touch her leg. Looking down she saw Gizmo butting her head against her leg. The little cat looked up and mewed quietly.

"Ssh," Faith whispered, holding a finger over her lips. "I don't want them to see me."

Gizmo cocked her head curiously.

"Because . . ." Faith began, and trailed off.

Putting on her best 'silly human' look, Gizmo stood on her back legs and rested her front paws on Faith's leg. Obeying the unspoken command, the dark Slayer picked the cat up allowed her to nuzzle her face briefly.

"Sometimes you act as though you understand everything I say," Faith said quietly. "Now, either you're a very clever cat or I'm imagining things."

Gizmo looked at her contemptuously before licking her nose with a rough tongue.

"No, I'm imagining things," the Slayer said with a slight grin.

A giggle from the room below caught her attention and she looked back to see Buffy grinning and Willow holding out a book.

"I've never seen study-happy Buffy before," Faith commented. "Must be Giles' influence."

The cat made an agreeing chirrup.

"Yeah, she really is into him. But it's different to the way she was with Angel. He encourages her to see outside of them, rather than obsessing about him. I wonder What would have happened if . . . nah, no point going there now." Gizmo butted her chin and mew piteously. "Yeah, I'm hungry too. What do you fancy?"

Silently, Faith opened the door and left the basement. "I don't know about you, but right now I would kill for a bacon sandwich."

Gizmo began purring and Faith carried her into the kitchen to begin working on their snack.

***

Exam week went without a hitch. Which, on the Hellmouth, was surprising to say the least. By the end of it, Giles felt as though his shoulders had been hunched all week waiting for the other shoe to drop. Going by their previous records, they should have had at least one near-Apocalypse to deal with. Or if not a full Apocalypse, there should have been invading demons, vampires with plots to end the world or authority figures attempting to eat the entire student body. But there was nothing. If he had not known better, he would have mistaken Sunnydale for a normal town. There was no hint that the place was usually the centre of supernatural powers. It was strangely disconcerting.

He unlocked the front door and stepped through, immediately inhaling deeply. The mingled scents of baking cookies, mochas, tomatoes, herbs and garlic made his mouth water hungrily and he barely stopped long enough to drop his briefcase before heading towards the kitchen.

The normally neat, quiet room was filled with laughing teenagers. Trays, chopping boards and pots littered every surface, apart from the large table in the middle that was already laid out for dinner. Somewhere a radio quietly played music and Willow was dancing with Tara near the door, both girls giggling as they attempted wild swings and twirls. Faith stood next to one of the counters, bopping along as she decorated fresh cookies. Anya and Xander were bickering playfully as they prepared salad near the sink, occasionally snatching a piece of lettuce or a kiss as they went.

Giles took in the joyful scene with grateful eyes and leaned against the doorjamb to watch. His eyes searched through the melee until he found Buffy and a sharp bolt of love rushed through him when he spotted her. She stood next to the stove stirring one of the bubbling pots on it and as he watched she leaned down to smell it. A look of pure pleasure crossed her face as she inhaled the aroma and he forced himself to stay where he was rather than rushing over and kissing her senseless.

The Slayer went back to stirring the pot, watching Willow and Tara's antics. The two witches were now attempting to cha-cha along to a Ricky Martin song (and Giles inwardly shuddered at *knowing* it was a Ricky Martin song) but they were having a little trouble with the steps. The tried a few times, feet tangling and almost unbalancing them each time, before admitting defeat and making it up as they went.

Xander had been watching the activity with a slightly glazed expression until Anya cheerfully bopped him across the back of his head with piece of lettuce. The boy immediately picked up a handful of chopped cucumber and held it poised to throw.

Spotting the imminent food-fight, Buffy left her stirring and rushed to stand between the soon-to-be combatants.

"No. Not in my kitchen," she stated with a glare for each of them.

Giles could not resist. "Your kitchen?"

Buffy whirled around and the sound his voice and her face split into a huge grin. "Our kitchen. But still, no food fights."

"No food-fights," Anya reluctantly agreed.

"Yes, miss, we'll be good," Xander added.

They returned to their salad preparations, leaving Buffy and Giles to greet each other in peace.

"Hi," she whispered as Giles pulled her close.

He kissed her. "Hello."

"Mmm, I love when you do that," Buffy purred.

He kissed her again. "Do that?"

"Make me feel special," she elaborated.

"You are."

He heard a gagging sound behind him and turned to find Faith smiling sweetly, a chilling sight indeed. She gave him a small wave and returned to her cookie decorating.

"So, what are we celebrating today?" he asked, smiling down into Buffy's happy face.

"The end of the exams, of course! No more exams, no more lectures, no more college...we're free!"

A chorus of "Yippee!" echoed around the kitchen.

"We're also celebrating my new job," Xander added, brandishing a radish.

Giles reluctantly released Buffy so she could return to her boiling pots and turned to the younger man. "Job?"

"Yup, you're now looking at a trainee construction worker slash carpenter. Regular hours, better money and my own power tools." He grinned. "Plus, Anya seems to like the uniform better than the restaurant's penguin suit."

"I can watch his muscles rippling as he works," Anya commented, industriously chopping a tomato into quarters. "It makes me think of sex rather than zoo animals so it's much better."

Giles sighed and winced. "Thank you for that interesting insight into your mind. Please, don't let me see it again?"

"An, do you remember what we talked about yesterday?" Xander asked, blushing. "What is and isn't appropriate to say in front of Giles?"

"Yes."

"Did you pay any attention at all?"

"Yes."

"So...?"

"Oh! You mean that was one of those things?"

Xander covered his eyes and sighed. "Yes, that was one of those things."

"All right, so I can't tell Giles when you make me think of sex. Got it." Anya smiled triumphantly, not noticing Giles' wince or Xander's pained sigh.

***

Buffy sat in the middle of their bed, brushing her hair as she waited for Giles to finish locking up the house. It was times like this that always amazed her. Times when she was allowed to just enjoy her life without any of the worries and fears that usually invaded her days. If she let herself, she could feel the panic and terror she had to deal with as she worried about their future. Her fears went beyond those of most expectant mothers; she had to worry, not just about the birth, but about whether she could protect her child from the creatures that wanted to kill it. And the closer they got to the time, the more she worried. She had been reading all the books and, from what she could see, she would be in no shape to defend anything for a while afterwards. Even her Slayer healing probably would not kick in fast enough.

And that was the biggest part of her problem. From what Spike had told them, the _Commedores_ would make their move the instant the baby was born. Which would coincide with her most vulnerable period. Spike and Faith's reconnaissance missions had finally given them an accurate tally of the demons and it was not comforting. How were they meant to deal with fifty demons, when just one of the creatures was more than a match for a healthy Slayer?

Firmly, Buffy put the thought away. This was meant to be a night of celebrating. The birth was still three months away and until then nothing was going to harm her. Nothing would dare.

She heard quiet footsteps in the hallway and smiled as Giles entered the room.

***

Giles blinked sleepily, trying to work out what had woken him. The pale moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating everything with silver light, so it was still several hours before dawn. The house was silent, nothing moved.

His sleep-fogged mind eventually worked out what felt wrong; Buffy was not curled up at his side. She usually slept with her head on his shoulder, or arranged spoon-fashion now that she was growing awkward with pregnancy. But she was not there. He reached out across the bed and his hand met cold air.

Sitting up, he looked around and realised that Buffy was nowhere to be seen. _I must have woken up when she left,_ he mused.

He lay down and closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but something still felt wrong. _She's probably just getting a glass of water. Or visiting the bathroom. She is pregnant, after all._ The feeling of wrongness nagged at his mind. _I'll just get a glass of water. It can't hurt, can it?_

He got out of bed and pulled on his robe before silently padding downstairs. No lights were on anywhere, but his wife's night vision was excellent so that was unsurprising. A noise in the kitchen caught his attention and immediately walked down the hallway towards it.

The sight that met his surprised eyes sent a chill shiver of fear down his spine. Buffy was standing in front of the window with a large knife in her hand. A glance to the side confirmed that one of the vegetable knives was missing from the rack.

He watched in horror as she raised the knife and placed the tip of it against her unborn child.


	24. Chapter 24

Time stood still. Giles could see the knife's sharp point pressed against Buffy's belly. For some insane reason he was aware of the quiet noise of the refrigerator motor starting. A tap dripped. The house creaked. And Giles was frozen.

After that frozen moment everything happened so quickly he was never sure what, exactly, happened. He found something in his hand so he threw it and watched in amazement as a canister of sugar flew threw the air knocked the knife out of Buffy's hand. He had no idea he could throw anything that accurately.

As the canister hit the floor and sent a sparkling shower of sugar through the air Buffy turned to face Giles. Her eyes were blank, unseeing, but her face was twisted with rage. She launched herself towards her husband and he stumbled backwards against the counter, narrowly avoided Buffy's punch. Shaking her head, she launched at him again and Giles staggered further into the kitchen as he desperately tried to avoid her without hurting her. Their strange, staggering dance led them across the kitchen until Giles felt the sugar granules crunching under his feet.

He realised that at the same time as a triumphant grin crossed Buffy's face. She ducked and picked up the knife she had been holding earlier.

"Buffy, stop it," he ordered, and hastily backed away as she swiped at him with the sharp knife.

There was no indication that she had even heard him, her eyes showed no recognition and her face was still twisted into an inhuman mask of glee and rage.

Giles grimaced as he realised that he would have to do something, and it would probably hurt both of them. But he had barely taken a step forwards when Buffy punched out again, thankfully not with the knife-holding hand, and connected solidly with his chest. He flew threw the air and crashed into some cabinets before landing sprawled and winded on the floor. All he could do was watch in horror as Buffy again positioned the knife against her swollen belly.

There was a blur of movement from hallway and the kitchen door. It converged on the blonde Slayer and before he knew what was happening an unconscious Buffy was being held up by Faith while Spike took the knife from her limp hand.

***

Giles, rubbing his chest, stood in the circle of friends watching the motionless Slayer. Her head was resting Faith's lap now and Xander, Willow, Anya and Spike were watching her with various worried expressions.

"What do we do with her?" Anya asked. "Can we chain her up?"

"You most certainly can not," Giles said severely.

"Watcher, what the bloody hell did you do to her to make her want to kill you?" Spike asked curiously. "I know she has a history, but I didn't think she'd do the homicidal routine with you."

Giles shook his head. "I have no idea what happened. To be honest I don't think she was trying to kill me. I just got in the way."

"Of what?" the vampire asked. "Her route to the bog?"

Willow blinked. "Does Sunnydale have a bog? And why would she want to go there?"

Spike chuckled. "No, Red, I meant the bathroom."

"Oh." Willow paused. "Even Buffy doesn't get violent when she has to go . . . mostly."

"I don't think it was Buffy," Giles said absently, his eyes still on his unconscious wife.

"G-man, hate to tell you this," Faith said, "but this looks a hell of a lot like B. Spike, did ya have to hit her so hard?"

"Well pardon me but she had a knife," Spike grumbled. "Next time you hit and I'll catch."

Giles sighed. "Could you stop arguing and start thinking? I know it's hard, but please try."

Faith poked her tongue out at Spike and looked down at Buffy again, gently pushing blonde strands of hair away from her face. "If it wasn't Buffy then what was it?"

"Maybe she was possessed," Willow suggested.

"You didn't sense a hyena energy around her, did you?" Xander asked.

Giles ignored him. "I don't think she was possessed. It was more as though she was . . . sleepwalking."

"What did you do to her that would make her sleepwalk?" Faith asked. "Homicidal maniac sleepwalk at that? Geeze, you think you got someone figured and then-"

"Faith, hush," Xander said seriously. "Giles, what are we going to do?"

He looked around helplessly, hoping someone would have an idea. For some reason all his knowledge had floated away as soon as he saw the knife in Buffy's hand and he was left clutching at increasingly fragile straws. "I-I-I-"

Willow must have seen his confusion and took over. "I think the first thing we need to do is make sure she can't hurt herself again. Spike can you carry her down to the basement? I'm sorry, Giles, it's for her own protection. We can take the chains off as soon as we're sure she's ok."

He nodded sadly.

"And then we'll have a research party," the witch continued. "I'll call Tara. She knows lots about this sort of thing."

***

Willow opened the door before Tara even had time to ring the doorbell.

"Hi," she greeted, pulling the blonde witch inside.

"Hi," Tara replied. "I came as soon as I could. It's kind of hard to get a cab at three in the morning."

Willow winced. "I'm sorry about that. It's sort of an emergency. Those don't get scheduled."

"Oh, no, it's ok," Tara said quickly, smiling shyly. "It's actually a little exciting. Midnight phone calls, emergencies, panicked rides in cabs - much more exciting than your normal summer break."

"So long as you're happy." Willow paused. "You are happy, right? I mean you didn't have to come."

"It sounds interesting. And I think I might have an idea."

"You do?"

Tara nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Come on then. They're in the basement. We had to chain Buffy up a little."

Willow took Tara's hand and began pulling her through the house, ignoring the little electric tingle that went up her arm. This was not the time to get distracted.

"Tara's solved it!" she announced cheerfully as she approached the table in the basement dragging the shy witch behind her.

"She has? Already? Aww, but I haven't even started the Ho-Ho's," Xander protested.

"I-I-I haven't s-s-solved it," Tara stuttered. "I j-j-just have an idea."

"Tara knows lots about magic," Willow added helpfully.

Tara blushed and hung her head, letting her blonde hair fall forward to cover her face, while Willow beamed proudly.

"That's great," Faith said. "So, spill. What made B try to Psycho the Watcher-man?"

"Huh?" Tara asked, confused.

"She wants to know why Buffy tried to kill Giles," Willow asked.

"Oh. It wasn't Buffy."

Faith frowned. "We've been there already. Why wasn't it B? 'Cause she felt pretty solid when the blood-sucker whapped her."

Tara blinked and Willow quickly explained the night's adventures.

"Oh," she said, brightening when she understood. "I mean it was Buffy, but not Buffy-Buffy. Something was controlling her. It's possible to control people when they're asleep. They act sort of like they're dreaming but they do whatever the spell-caster tells them. It's powerful magic."

"Can it be broken?" Giles asked hopefully.

Tara shrugged. "I don't know."

***

The Gang pulled out the books and began researching, trying to avoid thinking about the pregnant Slayer still out cold and chained to a bar on the wall. She was lying on a sofa, covered with a blanket, but she was still chained up. And worst of all she was still unconscious.

"Spike, are you sure you didn't damage her?" Giles asked after a while.

"Would you stop that?" Spike asked. "It was a precisely calculated hit. Knocked her out for a while but nothing more. Do I look like I'd bloody try to kill her? I've had enough chances, haven't I? And she's still alive."

"You could have accidentally-"

"Watcher, I've been killing and maiming for over a century. I think I can judge the damage I do."

"She's knocked up," Faith pointed out. "What if you hurt the brat?"

Spike turned a withering glance towards the dark Slayer, who simply shrugged and returned it. "I know. You might call me an expert in these things. She should be coming round any time now."

He received multiple glares and hid behind his book. All the living members of the gang went back to searching through books, shooting occasional worried glances towards Buffy. For some time nobody said anything. The room was silent apart from sound of turning pages.

Eventually, as the clock stuck four, Willow yawned and stretched. "I'm sorry. I need to make coffee. It's late and . . ."

Giles looked around at the group of friends who were in various stages of exhaustion, trying to prop their eyes open and their heads up despite the temptation to go to sleep. "You're right. We need to take a break."

Xander stood and stretched. "I don't know about you, but I need food as well as coffee."

"Do we have any of that pasta sauce left?" Anya asked, and several pairs of eyes turned to regard her. "I'm hungry. It's not really breakfast time, is it?"

"I guess not," Willow said slowly.

"Pasta and coffee," Giles said, following them up the stairs. "Midnight snacks are definitely going downhill."

The only people left in the basement were Faith and Spike. They eyed each other uncertainly for a while.

"So . . ." Spike began.

Faith sat back in her chair and put her feet on the table. "So . . . why are you doing this?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you helping B?"

"I don't see that's any of your business," Spike said huffily. "Why are you trying to help the Slayer? You were trying off her last year. What's changed?"

Faith shrugged. "I asked first. Getting a little defensive there, aren't we?"

"Defensive? Defensive? Me?" Spike rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you. I'm real curious now - what's got you so riled up?"

Spike sputtered for a moment. "I am not 'riled'. You're the one that's running on and on - got something to hide?"

"Spike, just admit it," Faith said with an evil grin.

"Admit what? Tell me, oh great and mighty Slayer, what is your great insight?"

"Well," the dark Slayer said, enjoying the vampire's obvious discomfort, "I think you're in love with her."

Spike opened his mouth. Then he closed it again. And opened. And closed. He looked like a bleached blonde fish.

"You are out of your sodding head," he managed eventually.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Why would I, a vampire need I remind you, be in love with her - my bloody enemy!" He adjusted the collar of his leather coat, which for some reason he always seemed to need to wear even indoors, and tried to meet Faith's amused gaze. "I am not in love with Buffy bloody Summers."

"Giles."

"What?"

Faith took her feet of the table and sat forwards. "Her name is Buffy Giles now. She's married, remember?"

"Of course I remember. I was there you know."

If it was possible for a vampire to get paler, Spike managed it. And Faith's grin became wider as she watched the vampire try to get out of the deep hole he was digging.

"Not that I . . ." he began. "I wasn't-"

"You," Faith pointed at him, chuckling, "were at their wedding. How did you manage that? Even their Scooby friends up there didn't get to see that."

Spike muttered something.

"Pardon? I didn't quite hear that."

"I lost a bet and had to get them together, happy now?" Spike stood and began pacing. "Can't a fellow do one good deed without it turning into a huge drama? I tell you, that's the last time I make bets with demons with nancy names like Whistler."

"Aah, so you got them together and then you fell in love with her."

"No!"

Faith rolled her eyes. "Come on. You're here to save the world? I'm not completely stupid you know. If you wanted to stop these Commedores demons you would have just killed Buffy by now. You've had lots of chances. Hell, she ain't even able to defend herself anymore. Instead you're here reading books, rescuing her and protecting her. You love her."

Spike dropped into a chair and said quietly, desperately, "I am not in love with her."

"Sure. You keep telling yourself that. In the meantime we'll-"

There was a noise from the sofa and they both froze. A low groan sounded and Faith was instantly sitting beside Buffy, stroking her arm soothingly.

"Hey, B, you coming back to us?" she crooned.

Her only answer was another low moan.

"B?" Faith turned to Spike. "Get Giles. She's coming round."

He nodded and almost flew up the stairs.

"Come on B, it's time to wake up now. That's right, open your eyes," she said encouragingly. "I'm here. Just wake up. You had your stud-muffin up there worried. Take your time."

Buffy shifted slightly and groaned. "Faith?"

"That's me," Faith said with a smile. "How ya feeling?"

She was sitting so close to Buffy that she could see the instant the blonde Slayer changed. Her eyes went blank and her face twisted into a mask of pain. The hand that had been clasping hers weakly became a crushing grip and a sound almost like a snarl came from deep inside her chest.

"B?" she said uncertainly.

Buffy gave no hint that she recognised the dark Slayer as she pushed her off the sofa and sent her flying through the air to crash into the wall. Faith slid down to the ground as the rest of the Gang rushed into the basement and an axe, dislodged when she collided with it, fell with a crash next to her. Buffy snarled again and pulled on the chains.

"Buffy!" Giles shouted.

She did not answer, throwing herself forward only to be pulled up by the chains. Growling, she pulled and yanked at her bindings. When they did not loosen she sat back on the sofa and looked around, her eyes burning with rage. For a moment no one moved and Faith thought that maybe Buffy would calm down. Then, in a movement even she could not have predicted, the blonde Slayer drew back her fist and punched herself in the stomach over her unborn child.

"No!" Giles shouted, and leapt forward.

Spike was faster though and he grabbed the Slayer's flailing arms to hold them still. She struggled, kicking and biting, against him but he held on and tried not hurt her. Faith slowly stood, feeling as though she was bruised from head to toe, and picked up the axe from the floor.

"I'm sorry B," she said as she walked over to the struggling Slayer. "It's for your own good."

She grasped the handle of the axe and tapped Buffy firmly on the temple. The blonde girl immediately collapsed and Spike let her fall back on the sofa. Giles reached her side moments later and pulled her into his arms. He sat slowly rocking her back and forth while the rest of the gang drew back.

"We have to find something," Faith said as she approached them. "We can't keep her unconscious for the next three months."

Willow looked over to her unconscious friend. "You're right. But I can't think of anything right now."

"W-w-we've been trying to find a way to b-b-break the spell," Tara said uncertainly. "But that's not working. Maybe it's the wrong approach."

"What do you mean?" Faith asked.

"Maybe instead of breaking someone else's spell we should be c-c-casting our own."

Willow immediately caught on and grinned. "A shield?"

Tara nodded. "Y-y-you've already got wards on the house. It wouldn't take much to m-modify them."

"We could set that up in, maybe, half an hour?" Willow continued.

Ignoring everyone around them the two witches began excitedly chattering and walked away. Faith could not understand more than one word in four and decided to leave the spells to the experts.

"Wow, I never thought I'd meet someone who could actually do Willow-babble as well as the Willster," Xander said, awed. "It's like they're twins or something. Twins with different hair, but . . . does anyone else feel scared when you think of the destructive power over there?"

***

As Willow said the final syllables of her spell she threw the yellow powder in the air and it immediately spread out and floated away.

"That was it?" Faith said, unimpressed.

"I think so," said Willow. "I hope so. Of course if this doesn't work we'll at least have a nice lavender scent in here for a while. But that should have worked. We'll know when Buffy comes round. I hope this works."

Giles was still sitting on the sofa, gently stroking Buffy's hair and forehead. "Come on, love, wake up. Please? We need you. I need you. I love you. You've scared us quite enough tonight."

Buffy remained still and the group exchanged glances before slowly moving to find seats while they waited. Spike chose a chair as far away from Faith as he could manage, shooting her nervous looks the entire time. Tara helped Willow to the other sofa and sat down with her, whispering something none of the others could hear. The redheaded witch looked pale and tired and after a couple of minutes she put her head on Tara's shoulder.

"Buffy, love, please wake up," Giles said quietly. "Faith didn't hit you that hard. Just open your eyes, please?"

He was rewarded with a slight stirring, nothing more than her eyelids fluttering, but it was enough. "That's it love, just open your eyes. Everything's all right now. We've fixed it."

Buffy's eyes slowly opened. "Rupert?"

Faith sat back, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders as she heard that voice. But remembering the last time, and wincing at the bruises she could feel on her back, her foot tapped nervously.

"Rupert? What happened?" Buffy whispered. "Why am I in the basement? And why have you chained me up? This isn't something weirdly kinky, is it?"

Faith snickered as she watched Giles' ears turn red.

"No, love, it's nothing like that," he quickly reassured her. "We just had a slight problem. You're fine now."

"Oh." Buffy was silent for a moment. "What kind of problem would make you chain me up?"

Deciding that he was taking too long with the explanation, Faith stood and walked over to the couple. "You got possessed. We had to protect you. You're not possessed anymore."

"I was what?"

Giles took over. "Someone was controlling you. They tried to hurt the baby. But it didn't work. We've managed to shield you and tomorrow we'll work out some way of undoing the spell."

"Who did it?"

"I have no idea," Giles said. "Considering the number of people who want to stop this baby being born the suspect list is rather large. But it's all over now. The shields seem to be holding."

Buffy nodded sleepily. "Good. Thank you."

Giles shook her gently and she obligingly opened her eyes. "Love, you've got a concussion. You can't go back to sleep yet."

"But I'm tired," Buffy protested, pouting.

The tall Watcher leaned down and kissed his wife. "I know. But it isn't a good idea. Why don't I take you upstairs and make us some tea?"

She nodded unhappily. "Will the shields be ok?"

"They're on the house, so we can move around a little. We'll just have to stay indoors for a while."

"Oh."

Giles stood and picked up Buffy, holding her close as he carried her up the stairs and for just an instant Faith envied how much Buffy was loved. But she quickly put that aside and turned to survey the basement. Xander was tiredly leading Anya upstairs and Spike had already wrapped his leather coat tightly around him and returned to his bed in the corner. Willow and Tara had given in to their exhaustion as soon as they knew Buffy was safe and now lay curled up together on their sofa, fast asleep. It occurred to Faith that the group was oddly trusting; they could go to sleep with a vampire and a known murderer in their house without batting an eyelid. And she had acted as part of this strange group to save a woman that last year was her rival.

"Damned if I know why, but this actually feels good," Faith muttered to herself.

She turned and walked slowly up the basement steps. At the top she turned to watch the silent room for a moment before turning the lights down low. She could hear Buffy and Giles talking quietly in the kitchen but decided not to interrupt; they needed some time together after what happened. So as the first light from the rising sun hit the sky Faith stepped out of the door and went for a walk.


	25. Chapter 25

"Angel Investigations, we hope the helpless - wait, that's not-"

"Angel?"

The voice on the other end of the telephone line stopped Angel in his tracks. It was a voice that he recognised and knew too well, but was surprised to hear it through his telephone.

"Giles?" the vampire asked, wondering if some bizarre supernatural power had possessed his telephone and was making him hear things. "Is that you?"

"Yes," the Watcher said, sounding uncertain. "I was hoping to talk to Wesley. Is he there?"

"No, he and Cordelia are on sick-leave. We had a busy couple of weeks."

"Ah."

There was a long pause and then Giles cleared his throat. "Could you, perhaps, give him a message?"

"Of course. Is something wrong?" A though occurred, one that would have stopped his heart if it had still been beating. "Is Buffy all right?"

"She's fine . . . for now."

Angel sagged against the desk, relieved. "Good. What can Wesley do for you?"

"Actually, I was hoping Wesley might have a few contacts in the Council. I need him to make a few inquiries for me."

"What sort of inquiries?"

"A couple of nights ago Buffy was attacked," Giles began. "Something tried to possess her and force her to kill the baby. We've managed to shield the house and Willow is working on creating a portable shield so she can get out, but we need to know who did this."

"And you think the Council will know?" Angel asked, and then thought it through. "You think it was the Council?"

"It's . . . a reasonable assumption. They have the resources, their special unit has already been disabled so they can't extract her physically - they're the most likely culprits."

"I'll talk to Wesley," Angel promised. "Give us a couple of days and we'll have something."

"Thank you." Giles sounded relieved, as though a fear he had been holding for days was only now being lifted. "Buffy is important to all of us."

"She is," Angel agreed.

***

Buffy frowned at the punch bag in front of her and firmly hit it several times in succession.

"Feeling a little better?" Giles asked from his position sitting at the table in the basement with a book.

She drew back and punched a few more times, feeling some of her tension flowing out with each impact. "A bit. I'll feel even better when I can get out of this house."

"Love, I know it's frustrating but do you really have any choice?"

Instead of answering immediately she threw a few more thoughtful punches before turning away and beginning to remove the bindings on her hands. "No, I suppose not. Why can't anything in my life turn out normally? Did I do something wrong? Can't I just have a baby like everyone else, without worry that something is going to want to use it to destroy the world?"

She sat down on Giles' lap and buried her face in his chest. "I know I'm the Slayer, but is it so wrong to want just one little bit of my life to be normal?"

Buffy snuggled closer as he put his arms around her and enfolded her in a hug. When they were like this, just the two of them together, she could almost forget the problems they faced. Almost.

"Buffy, love, there is nothing I want more than for you to have your bit of normality," he said softly, "and I would do anything to give that to you. Anything. All of the pains and heartaches you've suffered I would have gladly taken myself to keep them from you."

"I know you would."

He kissed the top of her head and she sighed, feeling a little foolish for her outburst in the face of everything else they had gone through. But the way he stroked her back and feathered light kisses on her hair and face told her that despite all that he loved her. And right now, that was all that mattered.

"What do you think she'll look like?" she asked curiously.

Giles paused and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I haven't thought about it to be honest. If it's a girl, I hope she's a beautiful as her mother."

"And if it's a boy?"

"I have no idea."

"If it's a boy, I want him to have green eyes like his father," Buffy said. "That way I'll know a part of you will always live on no matter what happens to us."

"Love," Giles rasped, and cleared his throat. "I think I count myself as the luckiest man alive."

***

Gizmo watched her humans. They always seemed happier when they were together like this. It was fun to watch humans and how they interacted - they always made things so complicated for themselves.

Upstairs she heard noises from the rest of her humans. They were bonding nicely now. A time was coming when that would be vital. Maybe even the most important thing in the world.

She sniffed and caught the faint scent of frying bacon. Uncurling from her corner, she was up the stairs in a couple of short bounds. The dark Slayer always let her have some of her bacon and she was hungry. It was part of her mission to look after that one and help her heal, but she was actually becoming quite fond of her.

The sounds behind her as she nudged the door open indicated that leaving the basement now was probably a good idea; those humans probably would appreciate the privacy.

***

A package arrived for Giles a couple of days later. Buffy sat at the table in the kitchen finishing her breakfast as she watched her husband cautiously tear of the paper on the small box that had arrived. He frowned and Buffy paused with her piece of toast partway to her mouth.

"Is everything ok, Rupert?" she asked, worrying as his frown deepened when he look in the box.

The Watcher did not respond, instead staring at the contents of the box. His thoughtful expression gave no indication whether his frown was a 'oh no, this is bad' frown or a 'hmm, this is interesting' frown and Buffy began to get frustrated.

"Rupert, what's up?" she asked, abandoning her toast and shifting to sit in a chair next to him instead of across from him.

"Hmm?" he said absently, and then realised she was talking to him. "Oh, I'm not sure yet."

He took a piece of paper out of the box and unfolded it, sliding the box across to Buffy. All she could see inside were two halves of a blackened crystal ball. Before it was damaged it had probably been about the size of her clenched fist but it was now split exactly in half. Reaching inside, she brushed away some of the soot from the surface. The crystal had originally been an ugly shade of orange with brilliant red streaks and Buffy looked at Giles curiously.

"What is it?" she asked.

He did not answer, instead handing her the piece of paper that had accompanied it.

> _"We found him in a motel in L.A. My contacts said he was working alone, without the Council's authority, and you can make of that what you will. He is no longer a problem. It seems he was the Council's most powerful magic-worker, before he went rogue, but I have not been able to establish whether the Council intends to make another try. They seem to be licking their wounds right now - leaving Faith for so long probably indicates that they do not have the resources at their disposal for another attempt. The lack of a Slayer is having disastrous effects for the Council's recruitment attempts._  
>  Take care,  
> WWP."

Buffy slowly lowered the letter, smiling slightly as she heard Wesley's voice in her head speaking the words he had written.

"Does this meant that the spell isn't working anymore?" she asked.

"That stone would have been the focus for it," Giles explained, "and if Wesley disturbed the creator the spell probably back lashed and destroyed both him and his focus."

Buffy grinned. "Cool. Does this mean I can go out again?"

His dubious look was all she needed to see.

"I can't, can I?" she said, disappointed.

"Love, this is as difficult for me as it is for you. But just because one attempt failed that doesn't mean another won't. The shields on this house would probably protect you from a nuclear warhead and the Apocalypse, all at the same time. But out there . . ."

"I'm unprotected," she admitted with a sigh. "I know. It's just so frustrating! I've been indoors for a week and I'm starting to get cabin fever. It's the summer and I'm gonna end up with less of a tan than Spike."

Buffy pouted and was rewarded with a kiss from Giles, which was good but still did not make up for being stuck indoors on a beautifully sunny day.

"I know, love," he said when he released her, "but Willow is has been working day and night to adapt her spell. It just takes time."

Buffy stood and held out her hand. "Well, if I can't go out you can help me work out my frustrations."

He blushed and she chuckled.

"Well, I was gonna suggest the punch bag again but that's fun too," Buffy said with a suggestive grin. "The doctor said we'll have to stop soon so we might as well have fun while we can."

Giles took her hand and she led him out of the kitchen to the stairs without any resistance at all.

***

Willow sighed, stretched and winced as she felt the vertebra in her back crack. Tara immediately shifted to sit behind and gently rub her back.

"Thanks," Willow said, just managing to resist the temptation to purr.

"It's no problem," Tara said softly. "We've been working for a week. I don't think I've ever spent this long working on a spell."

"I remember when we were researching the Mayor and we seemed to be working forever and . . . oh!" Willow exclaimed suddenly, jumping off her bed to rummage on one of her bookshelves.

"Oh?"

She continued scanning the shelves, explaining as she went. "I remembered where I read about it - the portable shield? - and it was in one of the spell books we were using. Invisible ferns were a no go, but I think . . . ah-ha!"

"Ah-hah?"

The redheaded witch pulled out a book and quickly flicked through it before stopping at a page and reading for a moment. "Yup, this is it. I think this will work."

Tara stood and moved to stand behind Willow so she could read over her shoulder. Willow felt the strange electric tingle she had been feeling around Tara each time she accidentally brushed against her and was almost tempted to lean back and get closer. But then she remembered the last time she had looked through the book, and who she was with, and immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over her. _Why should I feel guilty about remembering Oz? What is happening to me?_

Tara's voice broke into her troubled thoughts. "I think this sounds right but it says we need an anchor. Do you have anything?"

Willow forced herself to think about the spell and mentally catalogued all the possibilities. "Maybe."

***

_** A picnic . . . Giles . . . Faith . . . Angel . . . Angel in vampire-face . . . her baby . . . a demon . . . a sword . . . Faith . . . **_

Buffy woke, gasping and shuddering with reaction. She remembered it all so clearly. How could she have forgotten that terrible dream? Even though she had been in the middle of being kidnapped, she should have remembered something like that. Shouldn't she?

But . . . she remembered what Faith said she dreamed while she was unconscious - _'big demons, a picnic and a few other weird things'_. Was it even possible?

Next to her Giles stirred in his sleep. She glanced at the clock and noted that it was still early, not even dawn yet. Yesterday's exertions had helped her excess energy levels after a few hours sleep she was again buzzing with energy. Waking up as suddenly as she had, and with the afterimages still flashing through her mind, had only made it worse.

Looking again at her sleeping husband, Buffy decided that trying to lie still for a few more hours would probably send her crazy. So she slipped out of bed and pulled on her robe before starting to creep out of the bathroom.

Giles must have been sleeping more lightly than she thought because as soon as she moved away he stirred and woke up.

"Buffy?" he asked, his voice still foggy with sleep.

She padded back to the bed and kissed him softly. "Ssh, I can't sleep. I'm going to get a drink. You go back to sleep."

He opened his eyes and focused on her, searching her face. Whatever he was looking for he found and relaxed. "I'll come with-"

"No," she said, putting her finger over his lips to silence him. "There's no sense in both of us being awake. You go back to sleep."

Buffy smiled as she watched him nod, roll over and immediately fall asleep again. She silently padded out of the room, and wandered downstairs. She could just see a faint light shining under the kitchen door so she decided to investigate.

The reason for the faintness of the light became obvious as soon as she opened the door; the only light in the room was a small one over the stove. It provided enough light for her to see, but any non-Slayers would probably have been unable to make anything out.

Faith sat at the kitchen table with a magazine in front of her, a mug next to it and a slice of chocolate cake suspended halfway to her mouth. She looked up guiltily as the door opened and grinned when she saw Buffy.

"Come to check up on me?" Faith asked.

"Nah, couldn't sleep," Buffy said, walking over to the kettle and checking the water level.

"It boiled a couple of minutes ago," Faith offered. "I think there's still some cake in the fridge."

Buffy smiled her thanks and for a few minutes the room was silent as she made her snack and Faith continued reading. She sat down opposite the dark Slayer with her cake and mug of hot chocolate and watched the other girl for a moment.

"What?" Faith asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Buffy denied, but could not help herself. "Couldn't you sleep either?"

Faith shrugged. "I'm feeling kinda itchy."

"Oh?"

"Most of the vamps have been chased out so I haven't really had a good Slaying in a while. Gets me itchy."

Buffy grinned. "I know the feeling."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Being pregnant? Some bits are great but lots of it sucks. I have all this energy but I'm afraid to do anything in case I hurt the baby. And now I'm stuck in doors until Willow finishes her spell. I'm getting sort of restless."

"You'd better find something to do with your energy soon, B, or you're gonna kill your Watcher."

Buffy choked on her hot chocolate and glared at Faith, blushing. "Faith, has it ever occurred to you that some things are private?"

"B, you share a house." Faith sat back and smiled wickedly. "It's a little hard to keep anything private when you've got all of us living here."

Buffy frowned.

"Look, I know things are weird," Faith continued, "but you have got to learn to loosen up a little about stuff."

"I am loose!" Buffy exclaimed, and then blushed again. "But not in that way. More in a 'I'm chilled and relaxed' way than a . . . grr!"

She ran a hand through her hair and flopped back in her chair, aggravated.

Faith snorted. "Yeah, you're relaxed. That's why you're sitting here, in the middle of the night, eating chocolate cake."

"I told you. Have a lot of extra energy right now and I'm on maternity leave from Slaying so it hasn't got anywhere to go."

"Uh-huh," the dark Slayer nodded, disbelievingly. "And chocolate cake will get rid of the energy how, exactly?"

"By . . . uh . . ."

"I thought so." Faith looked at her closely and nodded again. "You've had a dream."

"I have?"

The other girl nodded. "Yeah. And it must have been a bad one or you wouldn't be sitting here, talking to me."

Buffy closed her eyes and remembered images from her dream flashed through her mind again. "Faith, have you ever had a dream about a picnic? There was a sword, and Angel, and you had my baby for a moment but then we swapped and you had the sword and I had the baby."

As she spoke she watched Faith and was surprised to see the other girl slowly pale as she described her dream. The other Slayer was always so confident, so brash, that she did not think anything could faze her. But this . . . she looked stunned and a little frightened.

"Faith?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

"Hell, yeah, B," Faith said harshly. "You're telling me shared a dream, and it has some kind of weird importance. Is that right? Of course I'm fine."

"I'd better get Giles," Buffy said slowly, abandoning her mug. "He knows more about this than kind of thing than I do."

***

"You're saying that you shared a dream, is that right?" Giles asked a while later. The sun was just rising and he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

Buffy frowned. "Because until now I didn't remember it. I had the dream again last night and now I do."

"And you?" He looked at Faith curiously. "Why didn't you mention it before?"

"I didn't know it was important before," Faith said logically, with an edge of frustration in her voice. "It was while I was out of it. I thought it was just one of those weird dreams people have when they're in a coma for a year. No one said that there would be a test later."

Giles ran a hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose. Nothing about any of this was ever simple. "So you've both had the same dream, you interacted, and it's possibly prophetic. Is that what you're saying?"

Buffy and Faith exchanged glances but it was the blonde girl that spoke. "Pretty much."

"So what did it mean?" Willow asked. She, Xander and Tara had stayed silent while the Slayers described their dream and her voice was still hoarse from sleep.

"M-m-maybe . . ." Tara began and trailed off, looking to Willow uncertainly.

The redhead smiled encouragingly and nodded to Tara to continued. "Maybe the bit where F-Faith had the baby was about the time she spent in Buffy's body."

"It's possible," Buffy said slowly.

"And maybe the part with Angel means that for some reason he's going to be protecting her," Tara continued more confidently. "You called the demon a World Eater?"

Faith nodded.

"Well, that makes sense. _Comedores Do Mondo_ means World Eater in Portuguese."

Willow smiled, her face beaming with pride. "I think you've got part of it. I don't know what the rest means but that must be part of it."

"Ok, so what is the sword?" Faith asked. "Does this mean there's something we need to fight the _Comedores?"_

Giles paced for a moment and turned to face them. "Possibly. I have no idea what it could be though. Buffy's dreams are usually fairly obscure."

"Sorry," Buffy said, pouting. "Next time I get one I'll ask for a manual."

He rested a hand on her shoulder and looked down, for a moment becoming lost in her hazel eyes.

"So, what are we going to do?" Xander asked impatiently. "Is there something we can look up, or fight, or maybe just beat up for information?"

"Yeah," Faith agreed fiercely. "A good beating would be almost as fun as a good Slaying."

Xander looked slightly sick and Anya shot the dark Slayer a disgusted look. Faith simply smirked and focused on Giles.

"We'll do what we have been doing," he said with a reluctant shrug. "We'll 'look stuff up', research and wait. That's all we can do right now


	26. Chapter 26

Buffy slowly lowered herself into the armchair and frowned as Faith cheerfully bounced into the room and flopped gracelessly onto the sofa. At eight months pregnant Buffy was now taking any reminder of her lack of mobility, no matter how small, as a deliberate insult. The entire Gang, including her loving husband, were treading lightly avoid upsetting the hormonal Slayer. One moment she could be happily chattering about the new baby, the next she could be in tears. Everyone, even Joyce on her rare visits, could feel the stress in the house.

"Why do you have to do that?" Buffy asked grumpily.

"Do what?" Faith asked, grinning as she picked up a magazine and began flicking through it.

"You know what - being all happy, and cheerful and . . ."

Faith rolled her eyes. "B, chill. Aren't pregnant women supposed to be all serene and stuff? You're uptight than you were in high school!"

"When I was in high school all I had to worry about was the Apocalypse and the Mayor. Now I have a baby and swollen ankles - much, much more stressful."

The dark Slayer muttered something under her breath and Buffy, amazingly, decided not to pursue it. Even she could recognise that she was being a little unreasonable. When Giles went out that morning, ostensibly to buy "something" for the nursery that was already stuffed full of every baby necessity in the shops, it had occurred to her that maybe he was trying to get away from her. Faith's words simply confirmed her suspicions.

She glanced at the ring on her right middle finger, admiring again the warm yellow tones in the amber stone. It always calmed her and she wondered if Willow had added a little something to the shielding spell that the stone carried. It allowed her to leave the house and stopped the cabin fever getting too overwhelming, but nobody was taking chances anymore. Either Willow or Tara always accompanied her on trips outside to provide magical protection, and Spike or Faith acted as bodyguards both inside and outside the house. Xander had already employed his newfound construction skills to rig some early warning intruder alerts around the house. Giles was coordinating everything, creating schedules and rosters for her safety, and being as devoted as he could be. Even when she was at her worst, when she was shouting and stomping, he was patient with her and gave her whatever she needed - anything from tea to kisses and everything in between. She grimaced; today's 'shopping' trip meant more than a simple trip. It meant he needed some time away from her and she was the reason for it.

"B?" Faith asked cautiously. "What's wrong?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not much. Just reflecting on how selfish and stupid I'm being. It's not his fault that I'm pregnant . . . or at least," she amended, blushing as Faith leered, "it's not entirely his fault. And I'm acting like a spoilt child when this is the most important gift I could have. And unless we work something out we might not even get to keep our baby."

"Don't think that," Faith ordered fiercely. "We'll think of something."

"Yeah, but this is-"

Buffy was interrupted as the doorbell rang and she looked at Faith pleadingly.

"Ok, ok, I'll get it," the dark-haired girl grumbled good-naturedly. "But you owe me."

"I owe you a lot," Buffy called after her.

She heard the door open and then an unfamiliar voice said, "Ah, you're not Buffy. I presume you are . . . Faith?"

Faith's response took a moment and Buffy could imagine the look of stunned surprise on her face at the idea of a stranger knowing who she was. "Uh, yeah. Who wants to know?"

The voice that responded was female, British, but without the annoying superiority that had resonated through Miss Post's voice, and she chuckled indulgently before saying, "I'm Mary Stewart. Is Buffy here?"

"Yeah, she is. Buffy!" Faith yelled through the house. "Visitor!"

Buffy sighed as she heard the door close and steps approach along the hall. Evidently whoever this was had been deemed 'safe'.

"I think the entire street knows I have a visitor," she grumbled as Faith entered the lounge, but the other Slayer simply shrugged and gave her the 'is there a reason I should care?' look.

Buffy turned her attention instead to the visitor. The warm voice she had heard was in direct contrast to the woman standing in front of her. She had pure white hair in a chin length bob, thick and vibrant despite the colour. Her eyes were bright blue and sharp enough to be uncomfortable to look into and her face was unlined apart from crow's feet around her eyes and faint smile lines near her mouth. Buffy unconsciously found herself craning her neck to look up and realised that the woman was probably only a couple of inches shorter than Giles, who had always felt tall to her. She was slim, held her back poker-straight and her neat trouser-suit made Buffy uncomfortably aware of her own comfortable sweats and large shirt. It was practical with her expanded waistline but next to the taller woman she felt grubby, short and fat.

She began the laborious process of standing up but the woman gestured her back into her chair and smiled reassuringly, the expression warming her piercing blue eyes.

"No, stay," she said, her voice filled with warmth. "You must be Miss Summers. Or, if I may, Mrs Giles?"

Buffy nodded, surprised that a complete stranger knew about her married name when, eight months on, most of Sunnydale still appeared to have trouble remembering. "I am. Uh, and you are?"

"As I told your young guard dog," she nodded at Faith who bristled, "I am Mary Stuart. Rupert's aunt."

Buffy blinked. Twice.

"You are?" she asked, knowing that she probably looked ridiculously clueless.

The woman nodded.

"Oh."

"Rupert didn't tell you about me, did he?"

Buffy shook her head. "I . . . uh . . . he's . . . uh, no."

"That boy," the older woman muttered, exasperated.

The blonde Slayer gaped to hear her husband referred to as a 'boy'. 

"Child, when you reach my age everyone seems younger," Mary said, a grin lighting up her face and making her look much, much younger than she probably was. "I watched Rupert grow up - I changed his nappies - and to me he'll always be the four year old with skinned knees, frowning because I wouldn't understand why climbing trees was more important than school."

"My Rupert?" Buffy asked incredulously, trying to imagine a grubby, four year old Giles. The task was too much for her brain and it gave up, fixing instead on another thought. "My Giles didn't want to go to school? Are you sure you're his aunt? I always imagined him getting all huffy because schools actually had holidays."

Mary Stuart indicated one of the armchairs, the one Giles always sat in, and Buffy nodded for her to take a seat. Although the resemblance was not immediate, after a few minutes she was starting to see Giles in the other woman. Their eyes were different colours, but otherwise they were the same and his expressions flitted across her face. It was actually very disconcerting. They even had the same smile; one corner of her mouth tilted up shyly as though testing the water before the rest of the smile appeared.

"I remember when Rupert was younger," she began, "he could argue quite seriously for hours about why he didn't need to go to school. After all, he could already read and add up so what else was there to learn? I think his best argument was that he could read books just as well in his tree as he could in a schoolroom. In his tree he would not get disturbed by the other children so he was sure he could learn more up there."

"So when did he get so serious?" Buffy asked curiously. "I know about his Ripper time, but somehow . . ."

"He's always been too serious," Mary said sadly. "But he's also always been shy, so school was actually sheer torture for him. And when his father told him about his destiny - yes, I know all about Watchers - he just got worse. I think he felt that there was no point in letting anyone get close to him in case they got hurt. And when you know about all the bad things that happen in the world, particularly at such a young age, it makes you older."

She looked closely at first Buffy and then Faith, even though the darker girl tried to hide her eyes.

"Yes, you both know about that." Mary's eyes darkened almost to black. "For a while, when he ran away, I thought everything might work out. But then that went wrong and he had to go back to the Council. They took every bit of passion out of him and turned him into one of their good little Watchers, for a while anyway. But I think now he's finally left that behind for good, hasn't he?"

Buffy blushed. "He hasn't been one of the Council's Watchers since . . . probably since the night the Master killed me."

"Really?" Mary arched an eyebrow. "Do tell. I get letters but that doesn't really tell me what I want to know."

"What do you want to know?" Buffy asked curiously. "You've known him much longer than I have - you must know much more than I do."

"Not at all," she contradicted. "I think you probably know him, the real Rupert, far better than I do."

***

Buffy had just finished recounting their adventures with the Bandy Candy, much to Mary's evident amusement, when she heard the front door open and close. Her sharp hearing easily picked up and identified Giles' footsteps as he came down the hall. His eyes immediately searched her out when he entered the lounge so he failed so see Mary waiting.

"Hello Buffy," he said, crouching down next to her chair. "How are you? I'm sorry I went out without explaining. I-"

"Needed to get away from your cranky wife for a few hours?" Buffy asked, smiling to let him know she did not mind. His bashful grin was all the answer she needed. "It's ok - I understand. I'm not exactly easy to live with right now."

"Well, I, uh . . . it's understandable. You're under a lot of stress," he said.

"Rupert, I'm apologising. Be gracious and accept my apology," she ordered. 

Giles rolled his eyes. "Very well. You're forgiven."

"Good."

He reached up and kissed her gently, but Buffy pulled away. Immediately his eyes were filled with hurt so she kissed him lightly on his lips and grinned.

"Rupert, we have a guest," she whispered.

"We do?" Giles turned and finally spotted Mary.

For a moment he paused and then his expression broke into a wide grin as he rose and swiftly crossed the room. "Aunt Mary!"

The older woman stood and allowed her nephew to pull her into a hug, holding him tightly and smiling. For just one brief moment Buffy had panicked, worrying that she and Faith had been wrong in their instinctive trust of the stranger, but Giles' reaction told her that she had been completely right. She could see some of the tension rolling off him as he held his aunt and she wondered, a tiny bit resentfully, why he had never told her about someone who meant so much to him.

Mary pulled back and examined Giles' face carefully before nodding. "Yes, I was right."

"Pardon?" he asked, curiously.

Buffy hid a smile as Mary gently patted Giles on the cheek, ignoring completely the fact that he was now a grown man, and smiled indulgently. "You've finally found your way. I couldn't be more pleased."

He glanced at Buffy and she grinned and waved. He rolled his eyes and winced.

"What, exactly, has she been telling you?" he asked his aunt.

"Now Rupert, you aught to know better," Mary chided, sitting down again. "A woman can never divulge her gossip to a man."

"She's right, you know," Buffy said cheerfully. "We've been talking . . . exchanging tales . . . yup, I've got the ammo to last me for years. Let's just call it payback for not telling me about Mary."

He winced and immediately returned to her side. "I'm sorry, love. It never came up and then I suppose I forgot that I hadn't told you. I somehow thought you knew."

Buffy pouted and glared at him. "Rupert, this isn't forgetting to take the garbage out. You forgot to tell me about an entire person; the only relation you seem to have. Is there anyone else you've forgotten about? Brothers, sisters, parents, more aunts . . . sometimes I feel as though I don't know you at all."

"I assure you, this all the family I have. You know everything about me that's important and I truly thought that I had told you about Aunt Mary." He put his hand on hers and she reluctantly let him lift and kiss it. "Love, you know that you can always ask me anything. And if it will make you feel any better I'll tell you my entire life story later in every excruciating detail."

"I'll hold you to it," Buffy said, frowning at him. "Who knows how many things you've 'forgotten' to tell me."

"Hopefully nothing," he muttered.

"We'll see," she said dubiously.

Giles turned to Mary and raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason you're here? Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but it's a long way from England and you hate flying."

Mary sighed and her eyes darkened again. Buffy absently noted that the expression was identical to the one Giles always wore when something terrible had happened.

"Well, I wanted to meet the famous Buffy," she began slowly, "and find out if she's good enough for my favourite nephew."

"Aunt, I'm you're only nephew and you're changing the subject," Giles said.

"Did I pass?" Buffy asked with a cheeky grin.

"I think you'll be fine," Mary said with a smile.

Buffy returned her smile and lightly squeezed Giles' fingers. "I like her."

He shook his head. "You would. Aunt, could you answer my question?"

"Very well. I have some information you should hear. But I think it will go down better if we all have a cup of tea and something to eat first. Rupert, I trust you can still remember how to make proper tea?" Mary asked, cocking her head. "Honestly, I don't know how you survive in this heathen country."

"Hey, this is my heathen country you're talking about," Buffy objected. "And I don't think Rupert is even capable of forgetting how to make tea."

Mary frowned. "Child, I think you're the one in danger of becoming too serious now. Life should be lived and enjoyed. Once you stop doing that life becomes pointless."

"See?" Faith burst in. "That's what I've been trying to tell B for months. She needs to chill, relax, have fun. She's got her boytoy; strikes me it's wrong not to enjoy it."

Buffy winced and a quick glance showed that Giles was blushing heavily. "Thank you Faith. I'm sure Mary needed that particular bit of information."

Faith grinned unrepentantly and Mary turned to her with an answering grin that made her blue eyes twinkle. "I think you and I are going to get on very well."

"You do?" Faith asked.

"We'll discuss it later," she replied with a significant glance towards Buffy and Giles.

***

It was actually a couple of hours before Mary finally told them the reason she was visiting. Giles made tea and by the time that was ready Willow was home, accompanied as always by Tara, and they had to explain who Mary was. The entire process had to be repeated when Xander and Anya arrived a few minutes later. By that time everyone was hungry and Willow offered to cook dinner. Tara quickly added her support and Mary refused to let them work alone, so she helped despite their protests. When it was ready, dinner was a boisterous affair with old tales and reminiscences being exchanged at high speed.

Buffy watched them all, and most importantly Mary, with interest. Although the woman looked to be in her sixties she was chattering as easily with the Gang as if there was no age difference at all. It probably helped that she had lots of dirt on Giles and they were determined to extract every last morsel, but she truly did seem to be making friends with them. Mary did not seem in the least bit shy and, if it had not been for the similarities of expressions, Buffy would not have believed that she was related to her more reserved husband.

When the dishes were cleared away Giles made tea and coffee and everyone took cups of their preferred beverage. As though they had one thought, everyone turned to regard Mary curiously.

"So, what gives?" Buffy asked. "I can't imagine you came all this way just for the family reunion, fun though it is. You'd have been here months ago if you had."

"Maybe we should discuss this in private," Mary demurred with a glance to Giles.

Buffy shook her head. "No. We're family. If this is big enough that you're here then it's something we should all know about."

"I really think-"

"Aunt Mary," Giles cut in, "they know everything that's important. We can save some time if you just explain to all of us. I'd tell them anyway, so there is no reason you can't tell everyone now."

"If you're sure . . ."

"I am."

Mary sighed and stared at her hands, appearing surprised to find that she was twisting her napkin between her fingers. She put it down and smoothed out the wrinkles before looking up again. "Very well. I have some information you need."

Seven pairs of eyes watched unblinkingly.

"I assume you've found out the problems with the children of Slayers," she began, raising an eyebrow in a gesture identical to Giles'.

"We know that there's no record of a Slayer ever surviving the pregnancy," Giles said tersely. "And no record of the child either."

"True," Mary said slowly. "There are no records."

"But?" he prodded.

"Yeah, the suspense is killing us," Xander added, receiving a quelling glare from Giles.

"But . . . there have been children," Mary said slowly.

"There have?" Buffy asked.

"Where?" Willow added. "I mean, not that I'm doubting you. No siree. But we've searched the diaries and records pretty thoroughly. There's nothing there."

"That's because there aren't any records," Mary said. "I heard what the Council tried to do to you; it shouldn't surprise you to discover that that isn't the first time they've attempted it."

There were several nods around the table.

"I think . . . I know some of those mysterious disappearances were because a Watcher hid his Slayer. From the Council, the demons, everyone. You must have noticed that there are several occasions when the new Slayer wasn't called until months after the disappearance. The Council rarely loses a Slayer." Mary paused, looked at Buffy and smiled. "I said rarely. I don't believe in coincidence. Could it be coincidence that the new Slayer was out of Council control each time one of the pregnant Slayers disappeared? And that the death of the supposed new Slayer and calling of the next occurred after the pregnant Slayer would have given birth, had she lived? No, I know that couldn't have happened. In fact, I think that at least some of those missing Slayers did not exist in the first place. I think that some of the pregnant Slayers were hidden and successfully gave birth."

"But why didn't they just reappear when they'd had the baby?" Buffy asked. "The Council wouldn't have killed a child. They could have protected the Slayer and the baby."

Mary shook her head. "For a Slayer to have a baby indicates that they have lost control of the Slayer. Watchers prefer their Slayers docile, malleable. I'm sorry Rupert, but you know it's true."

Giles nodded sadly. "I do. There were entire sections of my training devoted to teaching me that."

"Didn't work, huh?" Buffy asked with a grin.

He shrugged. "Some parts of my training were more important than others."

Anya, though, was frowning. "This isn't anything we haven't already thought of. Where's your proof?"

"Much as I hate to agree," Giles said reluctantly, "but Anya's right. Do you have any proof that there are surviving children?"

"Oh, yes," Mary said emphatically. "I know one of them."

Giles leaned forward intently. "Really? Who?"

Mary took a deep breath. "You, Rupert."


	27. Chapter 27

Giles knew everyone was staring at him with expressions of surprise and disbelief, but he could not seem to process anything. Everything around him had an unreal quality, as though he was in the middle of a dream or a nightmare, and he had to blink several times before he could even focus on his aunt. He stared at her, trying to see the lie in her eyes. But it was not there. She was . . . telling the truth?

"I . . . uh . . . but . . . how?" he managed eventually, aware that his voice sounded hoarse. Below the table he felt Buffy put her hand on his leg and gently squeeze, lending him her support and strength. "I . . . my parents . . ."

"I'd better start from the beginning, hadn't I?" Mary said carefully.

"That would be appreciated," Giles said, not even sure how he was forming the words when his mind seemed to have completely shut down.

"Very well." Mary took a sip of her tea and looked around thoughtfully before fixing her gaze on Giles again. "Do you remember your father mentioning Louisa?"

Giles nodded. "His Slayer. She died before I was born."

"Yes," Mary nodded sadly. "She was my twin. We did everything together. Even after all these years I keep expecting to see her next to me and when something happens it's hard not to think 'I must tell Louisa'. She was born just after me and mother always said that she was my shadow."

He watched the older woman with growing fascination, amazed that nobody had ever even told him that Louisa was related to him.

"So when the Watchers came they trained us together," Mary continued. "They knew one of us had the potential to be called as a Slayer, but they couldn't tell which. Mr Cartwright came when we were nine and told us this fantastical story about vampires, Slayers and Watchers. Naturally we didn't believe a word he was telling us. I remember we were sitting in the parlour, still dressed in our school uniforms, while he told us. Louisa just looked at me and I knew that she was trying hard not to laugh. Mr Cartwright just glared at us and that made us giggle even harder. Imagine a grown man, who must have been at least grandpa's age, trying to make us believe in fairy tales!

"We carried on thinking he was a bit mad until two nights later. He took us out to the graveyard and we watched a vampire rise. I don't think we'd ever been so terrified in our lives."

"You were nine?" Buffy asked sympathetically, and Giles could see that she was remembering her own first encounter with a vampire.

"We were nine," she confirmed. "And that night we nearly got killed. The vampire detected us as soon as he was out of the ground and Mr Cartwright couldn't protect us. He tried, but the vampire had him on the ground in seconds. Louise picked up some branches, threw one to me and we ran to the rescue. At first we tried beating the vampire with them, but he just threw Louisa to the ground and carried on attacking Mr Cartwright. So we worked together and somehow, two little girls managed to stake a vampire through the heart. I think that's what finally decided us. I can still remember the look Louisa gave Mr Cartwright when she told him to train us; I think she was disgusted that he nearly let us die.

"Mr Cartwright stayed with us until Louisa was Called when we were fifteen. The Council must have decided that we needed someone younger, who would be better able to look after a Slayer. So they sent Albert to us . . ."

_** Mary led the tall man into the parlour and sat down next to Louisa, taking her hand out of habit. He shuffled uncomfortably in front of them while Louisa watched him closely. Out of the corner of her eye Mary watched Louisa, feeling strangely jealous at the way her twin was watching the new Watcher. Physically the two girls were identical, with the same blonde hair, blue eyes and gangly height. However Louisa was the shyer of the two, despite her status as active Slayer, and Mary was usually the leader. Just as she was now, taking charge of the meeting while her twin simply stared at the Watcher._

_"So, you're the new Watcher," she said, not even trying to mask her resentment of the stranger intruding into their lives._

_"Uh, yes," the young man said uncertainly. "Albert Giles, at your service."_

_He held out his hand and Mary shook it, squeezing tightly to let him know that she was not intimidated in the slightest._

_"I'm Mary, and this is Louisa," she said, "the Slayer. You'll be training us."_

_"Both of you?" he asked, visibly surprised. "I was given to understand that only one of you had been called."_

_"And?" Mary asked, glaring at him. "Where my sister goes, I go. I'm not letting her go through this alone."_

_"Slayers have to be alone," Albert insisted. "Civilians will only get hurt."_

_Mary frowned. "I'm not a civilian. I've had as much training as Louisa has. I may not have all her supernatural powers but I can fight, probably better than you can. I won't let her go out there without back up."_

_Albert took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I understand you're concerned for your sister. But you must accept that she no longer requires your help. The best thing you can do for her is to get on with your life."_

_She ignored him and turned to her twin. "Lou?"_

_Reluctantly Louisa dragged her eyes away from the new Watcher. "Mare, I don't want you to be hurt. I think Mr Giles is right. You were going to be a nurse before; you still can be."_

_Mary felt her eyes fill with tears. "But we've never done anything separately. I don't even know how."_

_Louisa hugged her tightly and stroked her hair. "Hush, Mare. It's all right. Maybe it's time we found our own ways."_

***

_Over the following months Mary resumed her studies and Louisa trained with Albert. The months turned into years and eventually they passed their seventeenth birthday. It was a few weeks after their birthday that Mary received the letter informing her she had been accepted into the Royal College of Nursing. As she always had, she first sought out her sister to tell her the good news._

_"That's great Mare!" Louisa said, hugging her twin happily. "Now you'll be a nurse and I'll . . . Lou, I need to tell you something. Promise you won't be mad that I kept a secret?"_

_"Lou, I could never be mad at you," Mary said affectionately._

_Louisa smiled shyly and began picking at the bedspread. They were sitting in their room and their parents were out. Even though they were nearly adults, it would never have occurred to them to demand their own bedrooms. They had never spent a night apart and both of them dreaded the day that they would have to face that separation._

_"Lou, whatever it is I'm sure it's fine," Mary added, trying to reassure her twin._

_Finally Louisa looked up. "You know Alb-Mr Giles? Of course you do, silly me. I don't know where my mind is right now."_

_Mary smiled knowingly. "I do. I've seen the way you look at him."_

_"You have?"_

_"Uh-huh."_

_"Mare . . . he feels the same way. He loves me." The smile on Louisa's face was almost blinding. "We love each other and we're going to marry."_

_For a frozen moment Mary felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her world before she managed to summon up something approaching a smile. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you."_

_She hugged her twin and held her tightly for a moment before releasing her. "Have you told mother and father yet?"_

_Louisa shook her head vigorously. "No! They'll hit the roof. I'm going to wait until I'm eighteen. Albert understands and he'll wait. I may be the Slayer but I truly believe that I'll make it."_

_"It's only six months. What can happen in six months?"_

***

_Unfortunately more can change in a few weeks than anyone can ever anticipate. It was less than a month later when Mary returned from school to find Louisa crying in their shared bedroom. She was sobbing as though her heart was breaking and Mary immediately dropped her bags and sat down on the bed next to her twin._

_"Lou, what's wrong?" she asked, gently rubbing Louisa's back. "Is it Albert? Did he do something? Please, tell me what's wrong."_

_Louisa sat up and threw herself into Mary's arms. Her eyes were red from crying and her sobs shook her so hard that Mary became even more worried. "Lou?"_

_"Oh . . . oh . . . Mare . . ." Louisa sobbed. "I . . . oh . . . I . . ."_

_Mary hushed and rocked her slowly until Louisa's tears began to subside. Eventually they did and Louisa slowly pulled back. Mary produced a handkerchief and wiped away the tears._

_"Lou, please tell me what's wrong?" she begged._

Louisa took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm . . . I'm pregnant. Mare, I'm going to have a baby."

_Mary gently brushed Louisa's hair away from her face. "Well, that's all right. I know Albert would never leave you and you were going to marry anyway. So why the tears?"_

_"You don't understand." Louisa took another shaky breath and straightened to look into her twin's eyes. "Mare, no Slayer ever survives pregnancy."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"There's some kind of demon that comes after us. It wants to use the baby to open a gateway into hell and release all the old demons. If I even make it through the pregnancy these *things* will kill me and take the baby." Louisa sniffed. "Mare, I'm going to die. Albert doesn't want me to have the baby. He says he'd rather have me than any baby. But I don't think I can kill my baby." **_

"Poor thing," Buffy breathed, and in her eyes Giles could see the memory of the day she found out the same thing. "Poor Louisa."

Mary dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. "She was so terrified. I didn't know what to do with her. Of course, we couldn't tell our parents. They had no idea what was happening. They probably would have sent Louisa away and refused to let Albert see her again, which would have been the worst thing in the world they could do."

"I guess we were lucky," Buffy said, looking at Giles.

He smiled at her and raised her hand to his lips, loving the feel of her delicate skin against his. "We were, love."

"Luckier than you know," Mary added. "It was a completely different time then. I took Louisa to Albert to get the full story and he explained. We talked for hours, trying to come up with a plan. Eventually we decided that there was only one thing we could do. Louisa would have to disappear. Hopefully if we acted quickly enough we'd be able to save her. But nothing went the way we planned.

"We staged her death. Two nights after Louisa told me, she went out slaying with Albert. It was nearly dawn when he returned, covered in bruises, and he turned out to be a better actor than I ever thought he could be. He told our parents that Louisa had been killed and her body taken away by a demon. They were devastated and, even though I knew the truth, it wasn't hard for me act grief-stricken. After all, I was losing my sister as much as they were.

"Albert reported Louisa's death to the Council and they arranged everything. I knew we made the right decision about keeping her situation from them as soon as I met their representative. Everything was going according to plan and, the day after her funeral, Albert and I moved onto phase two of the plan. He had bought a small house in a village outside London called Chalfont and we needed to move Louisa there from London. They planned to wait a few days and then move abroad to somewhere safer.

"Unfortunately Lou and I had an older sister, Connie. The night we planned to move Louisa, Connie came home early from a party just in time to see me sneak out of the house and she followed me . . ." 

_** Mary walked through the streets as fast as she could, a stake clutched in her hand hidden in her pocket. Albert's house was only half a mile away, but it was far enough for her to worry about vampire attacks. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally reached the house and knocked on the door. Albert answered and beckoned her quickly in. She followed him down the hall to the parlour and was immediately rocked back as Louisa threw herself into her twin's arms._

_"Oh, Mare, I've missed you," she said tearfully. "I missed you."_

_Mary held Louisa so tightly she was surprised that her ribs did not crack, feeling tears run down her own tears. "Lou, I missed you too."_

_Albert gave them a few minutes together before clearing his throat and looking at his watch. "Louisa, we need to go."_

_Reluctantly Louisa pulled away from Mary and wiped her eyes. "I know. We need to be in safety before sun-up."_

_Mary nodded and pulled out her handkerchief to wipe her own eyes. "Are you ready?"_

_Louisa looked at Albert, who held up a large suitcase. Taking a calming breath Mary took Louisa's elbow and began steering her to the door. Albert darted ahead and opened the door. Louisa and Mary both gasped as they recognised the woman standing at the door._

_"Connie!" they exclaimed in unison._

_Connie, her dark hair and green eyes a complete contrast to the twins, stared at them in shock. "L-Louisa? But you're dead?"_

_"Surprise?" Louisa offered helplessly._

_"But-but this is great!" Connie said, her face pale but slowly beginning to recover. "We have to tell our parents. I knew you couldn't be dead!"_

_"No!" Louisa said fiercely. "You can't tell them?"_

_"Why not?"_

_"It's complicated. But you can't tell them. My life depends on it."_

_"Your life? Louisa, what is going on?" Connie demanded._

_Louisa looked to Albert pleadingly and he patted her shoulder. "Miss Stewart, why don't you come with us? We're going into the country and we can explain in the car."_

_Connie was reluctant but eventually agreed to go with them without telling her parents. It took most of the drive to the village before Connie was satisfied and the moon had set by the time they drew up in front of the new house._

_"So, this is it," Connie said, looking at the house._

_Louisa nodded. "This is it. Do you want to come in?"_

_Connie hesitated before agreeing and Mary was ashamed to realise that she was praying her older sister would refuse. But she did not and Mary had to follow them into the house. Connie immediately dragged Louisa into the kitchen for a talk leaving Mary help Albert unpack. **_

"I have no idea what Connie said to Louisa," Mary explained. "But when they came out the plan had changed."

Mary paused and took a sip of her tea.

"Why do I think this isn't a story with a happy ending?" Willow asked mournfully.

Tara patted her hand. "It might be."

"I don't think it is," the redheaded witch said.

With a small smile her blonde friend gently held her hand. "We know Giles is here. Th-that means it had a semi-happy end."

Giles barely heard them. He was watching Mary intently, waiting for her to continue her story. Now that it had begun, and he knew part of the story, an incredible hunger to know the full story was growing inside him.

Mary smiled at him, her eyes filled with understanding and ageless sadness. "I think you can guess part of it."

He nodded. "Maybe, but I'd still like to know why."

Shaking her head sadly, Mary put her tea down. "I don't really know why, even now. Maybe Louisa couldn't bear to leave her family, maybe she didn't want to leave me . . . it might even be that she simply felt her child shouldn't have live on the run. Whatever the reason was, when she came out of the kitchen with Connie she took Albert into their bedroom and they talked for a long time. I think he knew how this would all end because I could see something terrible in his eyes when they came back. Albert drove Connie and I back to the city without saying a word and we managed to sneak into the house before anyone knew we were gone.

"I found out what the new plan was that night. At supper Connie calmly announced to our parents that she was marrying Albert. Father, of course, was livid and threatened not to give his permission. That was when Connie announced that she was pregnant and they would be marrying next week, thank you very much. I'm still amazed Father didn't have a heart attack when she told him that.

"There was nothing they could do though. Connie was nearly twenty, so she was perfectly old enough to marry. And it was the mid-fifties so having an unmarried pregnant daughter would have scandalised the family. Father had no choice and had to allow the marriage. They were wed the next week, on a Tuesday as I recall, with just our parents, the witnesses and me to attend her. As soon as the ceremony was over they went to the house in Chalfont to set up house with Louisa.

"The power of foresight is a terrible thing. At the time I hated Connie for what she did to Louisa, but with reflection I can't help wondering if she didn't have the worse end of the deal."

"Why?" Buffy asked.

"Child, could you marry a man knowing that he would never return your love, that your sister was the woman he would always love, and knowing that the child you were going to raise was the product of that love?" Mary asked.

Buffy looked at Giles and he could see the thoughts and feelings flickering across her face. "No, I couldn't."

"Connie did." The white haired woman sighed and stared thoughtfully into her teacup. "She knew that Albert would always love Louisa. I should have known how she felt when she insisted on going to Chalfont with us on that first night, but I was so caught up with our plan that I didn't. Connie loved Albert and I think she hoped that he would eventually love her for what she was doing for her sister. But he didn't and the child was a constant reminder of what he had lost.

"Throughout Louisa's pregnancy they lived there. Louisa was hidden in the attic of the little house and Connie pretended to be pregnant. I think Albert spent most of his time in the attic with Louisa and would never have left her if he hadn't needed to maintain the fiction that nothing unusual was happening. I began my training and learnt everything I could about childbirth and midwifery, and I visited Louisa every chance I had. Albert began teaching me something of magic and spell-casting so that we could shield that house and I think by the time Louisa went into labour that place could have survived a nuclear war, the Apocalypse and the Second Coming without a scratch."

_** "Push!" Mary commanded, willing her twin onwards. "You can do it, keep pushing!"_

_Louisa pushed with all her strength, a low moan rising to a scream as the contraction ripped through her body. Next to her Albert winced but kept murmuring encouragements. The huge double bed in the attic was covered with towels and blankets and they had now been working for ten hours. Mary was acting as midwife with her books nearby. She wished that they dared to call the village midwife to attend but it was too dangerous, both for the midwife and for Louisa._

_At the window Connie watched the gathering dusk. The foam padding in her dress looked remarkably life-like and Mary had been forced to remind herself several times over the months that Connie was not really pregnant._

_"There's something moving outside," Connie announced._

_Mary ignored her, concentrating instead on checking the baby while Louisa rested between contractions. "Lou, you're doing fine. I think you just need one more big push and we'll have the head out. Then you can rest."_

_"I'm not sure I can," Louisa said tearfully. "I'm so tired Mare, I don't think I can push anymore."_

_"Hush, love," Albert said soothingly, pushing her damp hair off her forehead. "I know you can do it."_

_Another contraction began to move through Louisa and there was no time for her to argue. She mustered all of her failing strength and began pushing with all her might. Mary and Albert could only watch and encourage, hoping that some of their strength could bolster Louisa's._

_Eventually, after what seemed to be a lifetime, Mary shouted. "Stop pushing! Lou, I have the head. I need you to stop pushing so I can deliver the shoulders."_

_Louisa obeyed, falling back against the pillows. Carefully Mary twisted the shoulders to free them and eased the baby out. For one, long, heart-stopping moment there was silence and then the baby gave a lusty wail. Mary sighed with relief and quickly cut the cord before handing the tiny creature to her twin._

_"He's a boy, Lou," she said softly. "You have a son."_

_The matching smiles on Albert and Louisa's faces combined relief, joy and a tinge of bittersweet sadness. The tall Watcher gently kissed his love's forehead and whispered something too quietly for Mary's ears to pick up. Whatever it was, though, Louisa heard and she turned her head to meet his lips softly._

_"Albert, meet your son," she said, rocking the baby._

_"Hello there," Albert whispered, stroking his son's hair._

_"Have you thought about names?" Mary asked, feeling tears well up in her eyes._

_Louisa and Albert exchanged glances and then she turned to Mary. "He's called Rupert."_

***

_A couple of hours later Mary finally had some time alone with her new nephew. Louisa was asleep, worn out from the birth, and Connie was in the kitchen making tea. Mary lost track of Albert but assumed he was somewhere in the house. She had extracted a sleeping Rupert and taken him downstairs for a more thorough check and bath than she had been able to manage in the attic._

_Although he was only a couple of hours old she could already see the resemblance to his mother in his eyes and the shape of his mouth. His nose was Albert's and she thought that his eyes would probably be green like his father's._

_"You're going to be a little heartbreaker, aren't you?" she mused thoughtfully._

_Rupert gurgled at her and crossed his eyes._

_Mary laughed and softly brushed his cheek._

_"How is he?"_

_Albert's voice behind her startled Mary and she jumped, squeaking, before relaxing with a hammering heart._

_"Don't do that!" she said fiercely. "I could have dropped Rupert."_

_"He's lying on the shelf," Albert pointed out. "Even I couldn't drop him from there."_

_She glared at him and turned back to the baby, who had now discovered his foot and was industriously waving it in the air._

_Albert approached his son and looked questioningly at Mary. "May I?"_

_She nodded and he pulled something out of his pocket. Before she could do anything he fastened a tiny leather necklace around his neck. A small piece of amber hung from the strip of leather and, even to her relatively novice eyes, the stone glowed with magic._

_"What is it?" she asked._

_"Protection," Albert replied. "The demons that want Rupert can sense him but this shield blocks that. They won't be able to tell that he's here."_

_Mary paced to the window and looked outside, in time to see a large piece of shadow cross the lawn. "They already know. You can't hide him. You should have gone while you had the chance."_

_The tall Watcher shook his head. "They can sense Louisa, not Rupert. I couldn't make her leave. They won't leave until they have both of them."_

_As Mary watched she saw an unfortunate young couple walking down the lane outside, hand-in-hand. "Albert, there are innocents out there. You can't let them . . ."_

_"I'm not going to."_

_He pointed and Mary looked out of the window again. A shape flitted away from the house, it's white dress making it glow in the moonlight._

_"Louisa," Mary breathed, horrified. "But she can't . . . she's only just given birth. Albert, you have to stop her!"_

_He shook his head and she saw the pain in his eyes, destroying his soul. "I can't. She made me promise."_

_Mary shook her head and rushed from the room, down the stairs and to the front door. Connie was guarding it with a determined expression. Albert, following closely behind Mary, put out a restraining arm and just managed to stop her pushing Connie aside._

_"No!" she screamed. "I have to go to her!"_

_"You can't!" Connie shouted back. "It's too late."_

_Even as Mary struggled she saw Louisa hold up a bundle that wriggled and moved just like a baby. Just as abruptly, Louisa dropped the bundle to the ground._

_"Stop her!" Mary cried despairingly._

_"We can't," Albert said sadly. "She had to do this - we couldn't see any other way. The demons think she's killed the child. They can't find it or sense it so they'll believe he's dead."_

_Mary shook her head. "No, they'll kill her."_

_Albert bowed his head and Mary began to shake._

_The horror of that moment was too much and she began kicking, screaming and struggling before finally exhausting herself and sagging against Albert. For a long time they stood that way, holding each other as the woman they both loved more than life sacrificed her life for her son. **_

Giles could feel the tears on his face and when he looked around nobody had dry eyes, even Anya. Mary's face was blank as she relived those terrible moments but the horror and pain in her eyes, even forty years later, was heart wrenching. He felt Buffy's hand taking his again and closed his eyes as her love and strength poured over him.

***

But he could not let the emotions touch him until he was alone with Buffy later that night. Then, and only then, did he break down. He sat on their bed in her arms allowing her to rock him slowly as he cried for the mother he never knew.


	28. Chapter 28

Buffy rested her head on the back of the chair, enjoying the feeling of sun on her face. After the intense discussions of the previous day, everyone had made the unconscious decision to distance themselves from the heavy emotions. Moving the discussion outside seemed like the best way to do so. Giles had placed a comfortably padded sun-lounge on the lawn for her and she was taking full advantage of the opportunity to spend some time out of the house.

Thinking about her husband immediately took the happiness out of her sunlit morning. After his mini-emotional display last night, Giles had said nothing. Well, not completely nothing - he had asked how she was, found her some fruit tea and even had a five-minute discussion about the merits of sun block. But he was steadfastly refusing to talk about the bombshell Mary had delivered last night.

Buffy shifted slightly and forced the tension out of her shoulders. Really, there was nothing for her to worry about, was there? As she had commented before, Giles was the emotional marathon man. He would be stoic and silent until he worked through it all and then she would have her loving husband back. It was the way he did things.

This time, though, that felt completely wrong. She was his wife, and part of that job description was to be his support and helpmate. How could she watch him go through this alone? When they married, part of their promises to each other had been to help, support and trust. It might not have been the way he was used to handling his problems, but things were different now and she needed to make him see that.

The warm sunshine soaked through her skin into her soul, and for the first time in a long time she could feel the hope that maybe everything would work. After all, if one Slayer's child had survived maybe others had. Maybe her own would. Buffy stilled as she remembered what Louisa had done. But this time it did not have to end that way. Her situation was completely different from Louisa's; she had a family that cared about her and each one of them had skills and knowledge that could be put together to form a plan. This time it could be different.

Her mind slid away from the task of thinking of a plan and returned to the man who was the other half of her soul. Before she did anything about a plan, she needed to talk to Giles.

***

Mary shaded her eyes as she peered out of the kitchen door into the garden. The bright morning sunshine contrasted with the cool dimness of the house and it took her eyes a moment to adjust enough to see. She could hear Rupert pottering around, fixing tea, and she could feel the discomfort washing out of him in waves. It was a good thing, she decided, that she had spent the night at her hotel; the boy's reserves were strained enough from trying to deal with her revelations the night before. Having her around last night as a reminder would probably have been too much.

She spotted Buffy in her sun-chair, surrounded by other chairs and a table next to her littered with magazines, bottles of water and a large tube of sun block. The girl had sunglasses on but her posture suggested that she was nearly asleep. Mary smiled faintly as she noticed that, in defiance of the large bulge in her abdomen, Buffy was wearing a vest-top and comfortably loose cotton trousers. In her day pregnant women had always covered up as much as possible, but she thought that this attitude was much healthier. After all, pregnancy brought new life so was nothing to be ashamed of.

Mary did not realise how quietly she was approaching the blonde girl until she spoke and Buffy jumped.

"Hello, Buffy."

It took the younger girl a few moments to recover her composure. "Hi . . . uh . . . what should I call you? It feels weird to call you Mary, but I guess you're family so I can't call you Miss . . . Mrs . . . Ms Stewart. I've never had to cope with in-law people."

Grinning, Mary shrugged. "Whatever makes you feel comfortable, dear. I feel like a schoolteacher when I'm called Miss Stewart so I'd much rather stay away from that. How do you feel about Aunt Mary?"

Buffy considered it for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds a bit better. So, Aunt Mary, do you wanna sit down?"

Selecting one of the more padded chairs, Mary sat. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine. I think the baby like the sunshine."

"I must say that it's a pleasant change from England at this time of year."

"I've never been. It's always raining on TV shows though."

"Well, August is not the driest month of the year. You should visit in May or June - that's when England is at it's best."

"I'll try." Buffy cocked her head. "How long are you here for?"

"I'm not sure yet, child. Until it's time for me to leave, I suppose." Mary's eyes unconsciously flickered back to the house. "Rupert had to know the truth after all this time. He may never want to see me again."

"Uh-uh," Buffy shook her head vehemently. "He's in shock; he'll recover. I know he doesn't blame you. I'm not sure what he's feeling right now - getting him to talk about his feelings is like pulling really, really deep-rooted teeth - but I know he still loves you."

"Thank you, dear."

Buffy glanced at the house, and Mary could see the worry in her eyes. "Do you mind excusing me? I need to talk to Rupert."

"Of course." Mary smiled warmly at her. "If at first he won't talk, just keep knocking on that stubborn head of his. He'll talk eventually. He's a lot like his father; he tries to keep everything inside and deal with it all himself. In my experience that isn't a healthy way to cope."

"I know."

Slowly, Buffy levered herself up until she was standing and waddled into the house with a quick wave.

Mary closed her eyes and sat back to absorb the sun, smiling as she felt the warm light soaking inside her. California may be loud, foreign and filled with brash Americans, but the sunlight and warmth could not compare with England's dank dreariness. Maybe, when this was all over, she would stay. Just for a while.

Her sharp ears caught the sound of someone quietly walking through the grass. The steps were too quick and light to be Buffy returned, so she cracked one eye open and watched as the redheaded young witch approached. Opening both eyes, she raised her head and smiled.

"Hello, Willow," she greeted, picking up the bottle of sun block and holding it out.

Willow smiled shyly and too the bottle. Her shorts and top exposed a lot of fair skin and Mary knew from her own, painful past experience that it she did not wear the block she would be the colour of a baked lobster by lunchtime.

"Hi, Miss Stewart," Willow said, sitting down and opening the bottle. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm enjoying the sunshine," Mary said cheerfully. "And you? I'm surprised at how early all the young people here are up."

"I woke up and I didn't want to wake Tara so I got up. Uh, it wasn't safe for her to walk home late last night," the redhead said uncomfortably.

Mary nodded and said nothing.

"Normally," Willow continued, "we don't get up this early during vacation. But we've got less than a month to find a plan so I don't think any of us are sleeping right now."

"You all care about Buffy a great deal, don't you?"

"She's my best friend. Giles taught me so much; I hate to see them unhappy. We're a family."

"Good."

Mary rested her head back again and closed her eyes.

***

Gizmo finished washing her ears and began on the important taste of washing every inch of her tail. Her newly clean ears, meanwhile, pricked up as she heard her owner slowly enter the kitchen. The blonde one smelled of worry and the little cat put all her attention into listening. She shifted a little so that she could watch as the blonde one put her arms around her mate and held him awkwardly.

"Rupert, are you all right?"

"Love, I'm fine."

Gizmo did not believe that for one moment. Over the past eight months she had become familiar with all of their scents, expressions and habits. The blonde one's mate was tense and upset, and trying to hide it.

"Look, I know you like being all stoic and 'I'm a tough guy, I don't need help', but you shouldn't have to be like that around me." With strength surprising in someone as small as she was, the blonde girl turned her mate and made him look at her. "I'm here. I'll always be here. You can talk to me about it; that's what marriage is about. God knows, you've listened to me often enough. This isn't a one-way street. It goes both ways - I'm here when you need it. You're here for me. We're partners."

"Love . . ."

"Uh uh, don't. Whatever objection you're about to find, just forget it. I love you. Now, can we talk about it?"

The tall man put his arms around his mate and held her tightly, shuddering. The emotions in the room were so intense that they almost made Gizmo sneeze, so she decided that now was the time for a tactical retreat. They would work out their problems just fine without her, and this part was not really her job. That would come later.

Giving her fur one last swipe to settle it properly, Gizmo stood and padded out of the kitchen. The dark haired female was still in bed and always gave her a cuddle, even though she pretended not to want to, and Gizmo liked the pretty sky in her lair.

***

Some time later everyone, apart from Spike, was sitting in the sunshine. Buffy was back in her sun-lounge and Giles had a chair next to her so that they could hold hands. Faith, wearing the briefest shorts and top possible, was draped on another sun-lounge. Xander and Anya had chosen matching chairs, putting them as close together as they could, and were playing footsie as well as holding hands. Tara was seated at Willow's feet so that the redheaded girl could braid her hair and Mary was watching them with a smile.

"So," Buffy said to start the meeting, "we never heard the rest of your story last night, Aunt Mary."

"The rest?" Mary asked curiously. "I wasn't aware that I had left anything out."

"You didn't tell us how you stopped the _Comedores_ killing Rupert as soon as they worked out that he was still alive," Buffy said.

"Ah." Mary paused for a moment. "Well, we never actually worked out why they didn't find out about Louisa's trick. That protection spell must have been more powerful than we had thought."

"Rupert isn't wearing it now and the demons aren't trying to sacrifice him," Buffy pointed out. "It would be a lot easier to use him rather than waiting around for me to give birth, wouldn't it?"

"That was something we didn't find out for a while after he was born," Mary said. "Albert was looking for something, completely unconnected to the _Comedores_ , and he tracked down a book. I think it had been lost for centuries, but he found it. He was looking through it for some information when he saw a reference to the _Comedores_. As you can imagine, that sparked his interest. It turned out that there is a time limit within which the sacrifice must be made. After that, the child is no more use to them than any other human child."

"A time limit?" Giles asked curiously. "I've searched through every book I could find and haven't seen anything about a time limit."

"I suspect that over the years someone, or several someones, have done their best to ensure that nobody knows about the time limit." Mary snorted. "I think we can guess who that might have been."

"The Watchers," Buffy stated flatly. "It would be just like them. Great way to get their pregnant Slayers so terrified that they'll gladly go back to the fold and have their babies taken away."

"Yes, I think you're right." Mary sighed. "They always have liked to control whatever they can. I think that may be why they've failed so spectacularly with their last few Slayers. Times have changed but they haven't."

"So, what's the time limit?" Faith asked.

"Six weeks," Mary said. "The sacrifice must be made within six weeks of the child's birth or it will be useless."

"Six weeks?" Buffy asked. "I was hoping it would be more like six hours, or maybe six minutes."

"It's six weeks. How much do you all know about biology?"

Several heads shook, although Willow's face brightened.

"Very well, I'll give you a quick lesson," Mary continued. "After six weeks, a baby will have replaced its entire blood supply. Prior to that there may be traces of the mother's blood and the baby's own blood cells are slightly different. Once the baby has replaced all of its blood it can truly be said to be a separate being. That's why blood tests to determine paternity cannot be performed immediately after birth."

Several faces frowned, although Willow nodded her head with understanding.

"I believe that the _Comedores_ need that early blood for their sacrifice. Once that has been replaced they cannot use the child. If we had found out sooner . . ." Mary sighed sadly. "As it was, we did not discover this until Rupert was three years old. Maybe Louisa would still be alive if we had found out sooner. I don't know. But I do know that this time we can make different decisions."

Buffy took in the words but it was several breaths before the meaning sunk in. There was hope. Maybe it was not the overwhelming good news she had been hoping for, but this was more than they had been given before. She rested her free hand on her bulging abdomen, feeling a kick beneath her palm, and smiled. Turning her head she realised that Giles was watching her with hope matching hers in his eyes.

"Rupert, we might make it," Buffy whispered.

"Love, I never doubted it," he whispered back, squeezing her hand.

Buffy turned her attention back the conversation around her in time to hear Xander say, "We need to thin out the _Comedores_."

"Why?" she asked curiously.

There were several rolled eyes and sighs, and she realised that her question had already been answered earlier.

"Because," Xander said patiently, "if we want to keep them away from you and the baby for six weeks we need there to be fewer of them."

"Got any ideas?" Buffy asked. "Not to rain on anyone's parade, but so far each time we've met them the things have pretty much decimated us. They're bigger, stronger, and there are a lot more of them."

Xander looked thoughtful while Faith said lazily, "Shame we can't just nuke 'em all. Big bang, very satisfying."

"Faith, we're the good guys," Buffy said with a sigh. "We can't make bombs in case they hurt other people, and that cavern is right below the town so it would probably take a lot with it when it collapsed."

"It was just an idea," Faith said, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe," Xander said, a feverish intensity in his eyes. "Maybe . . . Wil, Tara, could I see you in the basement?"

"Uh, sure," Willow said uncertainly as Xander stood. "But why?"

The dark haired boy shook his head. "I think I have an idea. But I don't want to get all excited until I'm sure. So, are you coming?"

Tara and Willow exchanged glances before quickly standing and following him into the house. Anya watched them go with a worried expression.

"I trust him, I really do," she said. "I have complete trust in my boyfriend going to the basement with his ex-girlfriend and her friend. We trust each other."

"Uh-huh," Buffy nodded.

"We do not feel a need to be jealous," Anya continued, her eyes fixed on the kitchen door, "because we trust each other completely."

"Yeah, I can really, really see that," Buffy said.

Anya watched the door for a few moments. "Do you think they might like some iced tea? I could go and get them some."

"Sounds like a solid plan," Buffy said, hiding a grin behind her hand.

Immediately Anya stood and very carefully did not run into the house. She walked swiftly and intently, but it did not fit the legal definition of 'running'.

"Have I missed something?" Mary asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Not really. Anya's just being Anya. What we need is a plan."

There was silence in the garden. They had facts, ideas and suppositions, but the plan was still being elusive. Buffy sighed. Trying to stop fifty large, strong demons from attacking and taking away her baby was still the biggest sticking point in their plan. They could repel magical attacks and hide the baby's presence, but at the end of the day they would still be in the house and the _Comedores_ would know that.

"I don't want to leave here," she said sadly.

"I know, love," Giles said. "And at this stage I don't know where we could go. As much as I hate to say it, I think this is where we'll have to make our final stand."

"Final stand. It sounds so . . . final," Buffy mused. "I guess we just have to make the best of what we have."

"You have a lot more than Louisa did," Mary said with a smile. "You have lots of talented friends who are willing to do anything to help you. I think that's where your strength will be. And I'll be here, if you want me."

"You will?" Buffy asked eagerly, feeling a strange companionship with the woman even though she had known her for less than a day.

"Of course I will. Unless you want to bring an innocent mid-wife here to birth the baby, with all the risks that would entail."

"I hadn't even thought of that," Buffy admitted. "I guess I haven't even got that far in working out what we're doing."

Mary sighed, and exchanged a despairing glance with Faith. "You mean you've been so busy worrying about demons that you haven't even thought about how you're actually going to give birth to this child? And you, Rupert, didn't even consider where you'd be?"

Buffy and Giles exchanged mutual ashamed looks and blushed.

"Really," Mary continued, throwing up her hands. "I know that you're newly married, but you could have at least had the brains to think about this? Did your minds dribble out when you put those rings on?"

"Nah, I think they're just-" Faith cut off whatever she was about to say in the face of Buffy's murderous expression, but her leer spoke volumes.

"Well, I think it's a good thing that I'm here to remind you about the less supernatural aspects of the process," Mary said.

Faith quickly stood and began sauntering back to the house. "I'll just get something to drink. I don't think you guys need me right now."

***

Buffy sighed, feeling the evening sunshine warm her skin, and rubbed her hand over the spot where an elbow or knee was trying to drill through her stomach. The entire day had been spent planning and they now had some idea of what they would do. There were still some details she had no idea what to do with, but they were a little more organised than they had been. She admitted privately that Mary had done them a favour; forcing them to make real plans rather than just running around pointlessly. Although the baby was technically not due for another month, babies were notorious for not doing as they were supposed to.

Another kick impacted on her kidneys and she winced. Right now, the idea of it all being over was incredibly appealing.

Buffy opened her eyes and pushed herself upright. Maybe a bath would settle the baby down. As she began gathering up her things from the table, she glanced towards the house and watched Faith poke her head out of the door and begin to make her way over.

"Hey," Buffy greeted when the dark haired Slayer was closer. "I thought you were getting ready to patrol."

"Don't sweat, I'm going in a minute," Faith said, sitting down next to Buffy. "I just . . . I have some info. Thought you should know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Don't know what you'll do with it, but I thought it could be useful."

Buffy listened with interest as the other Slayer spoke, occasionally objecting but mostly content just to hear her out. When she finished, Faith raised an eyebrow and waited.

"Uh, thanks," Buffy said uncertainly.

"It's nothing," Faith said with a grin. "Thought you could use it. And now I'd better get patrolling."

Buff glanced up at the sky, where there was now just a faint red glow from the sunset. She could feel the slight chill in the air and knew that the nighttime activity in Sunnydale was probably just about to start. For a moment she felt a deep longing to be out there, hunting vampires and doing her part to keep the world safe. But a sharp jab from the baby quickly reminded her why she was here instead and she absently rubbed the spot, rewarded when the baby quietened down.

"You ok?" Faith asked, standing.

"Yeah. The baby's a bit restless, that's all," Buffy said, accepting a hand from Faith to help her up.

The dark Slayer's eyes darkened for a moment, longing showing through, before the expression was replaced with a bright grin. "You're lucky, you know that B?"

"Yeah, I know."

As she walked across the lawn Buffy felt the final part of the plan fit into place in her mind. She knew what she was going to do now. Yeah, she was lucky.


	29. Chapter 29

Xander crept slowly down the corridor, putting his boots down carefully to make as little sound as possible. In front of him he could see a dark shadow moving with cat-like grace, her clumpy boots making even less noise than his, and he knew that behind him there would be another soundless shadow. Spike had actually been persuaded to put a dark hat over his pale blond hair although he had drawn the line at dying it black. Oh, well, it was only for this one mission anyway.

Sound echoed down the corridor, the low, dissonant hum of demons chanting, and the stench of the sewers also made their unfortunate presence known. Xander concentrated on breathing through his mouth. Every sense he had was on alert and he almost jumped when a loud, clanging gong sounded from the chamber ahead.

This plan had taken almost two weeks to create and implement, and they all knew that they would only get this one chance at it. They also knew that this could make the difference between Buffy's child living and dying. If they failed . . . the idea of being torn limb from limb by lots of very big, horned demons did not appeal to Xander.

A reddish light began to shine down the corridor and for a moment he imagined all the paintings he had seen of Hell. From what he had heard about this place he had a feeling that the comparison was spot on. The further they went, the brighter the light became until the corridor around them began to widen out. Ahead, Faith stopped and Xander quickly scooted forwards to crouch next to her.

She pointed down and raised an eyebrow. They were now crouched in a small opening with a thirty-foot drop below them to the floor of the huge cavern that the _Comedores_ had chosen as their lair. It looked as though around thirty-five of the demons were gathered in a semi-circle around an altar, with a small greenish demon stretched out on it. They had their backs to the opening Xander crouched in, and he allowed himself a brief moment of hope that this was a good sign. The _Comedores_ were humming, a low, grating sound, and as he watched one of them struck a gong. As the ringing clang echoed through the cavern the demons bowed and their humming turned into chanting. Xander was immediately glad that he had no idea what language they were chanting in; it sounded evil, with lashings of pain and suffering, and a glance at Spike sent chills down his spine. The vampire was watching the scene with a look of intense disgust and revulsion. In Xander's book, anything that could gross out a vampire was not to be thought about.

He looked back to Faith and she cocked her head silently. None of them dared to speak in case the chanting demons below heard, so he simply nodded. This was probably the most dangerous part of the entire plan.

Xander shrugged his backpack off and opened it slowly, wincing as the zipper made a noise. He pulled out a length of rope and handed it to Faith. At the same time Spike was removing his pack and pulling out three small black boxes. He handed them to Xander, who concentrated on them and ignored Faith with her rope.

A few touches to the buttons on the first one turned on the red blinking light on the side of the box. He handed it to Spike, who put it back in his pack, and performed the same actions with the other boxes. By the time that was done Faith had secured the rope. She took her box from Xander and put it in her pack before letting the rope down the side of the cliff.

The rope made no sound and stopped bare inches from the floor of the cavern. Xander let out a silent sigh of relief - over the past two weeks he had dreamed constantly that the rope would stop ten feet from the floor and the plan would be ruined before it even began.

Spike attached his harness to the rope and gave a few tugs to make sure it was secure before dropping off the cliff. He went down soundlessly, in a few seconds, and dropped to his feet. Faith joined him moments later and then there was just Xander to follow. Swallowing hard, he pushed off the cliff and let himself down in long bounds rather than the single fall that the other two had made. They may have superpowers, he reasoned, but he was human and miscalculating would make a very messy splatter on the floor.

The humans and the vampire crouched behind a rock and watched the ceremony for a few breaths. The demons clanged their gong again and began humming, a long single note that made the hairs on the back of Xander's neck prickle. The little group exchanged glances and nodded before moving out.

Faith and Spike had each elected to place their parcels at the locations furthest from the opening. Xander watched them flow soundlessly in opposite directions, almost indistinguishable from the shadows they moved through. He gave them a few beats and then he crept out from behind his rock, slipping into the shadow of another.

Manoeuvring closer to the _Comedores_ was a heart-stopping experience and several times Xander froze, certain they had heard his movements. But they carried on their ceremony without appearing to notice his stealthy approach. The rock he was aiming for was so close he could smell the demons, but they needed to make sure that they were surrounded by Xander's packages so he pressed on.

When he reached the rock he crouched for a moment with his back to it, catching his breath. Then he reached into his pack and removed his black box, settling it in a nook under the rock and making sure that it was in an effective position. Then he began the terrifying journey back to the rope.

He reached it in time to see first Spike and then Faith swarm up it. They had practised this part of the plan many times over the past two weeks, but practising on the side of the house was very different to practising on the side of a thirty-foot high cliff, with a rock floor and lots of large demons at the bottom. Xander took a deep breath and wrapped his hands around the rope, holding on as tightly as he could. He felt a jerk and then the rope was slowly pulled up.

When he reached the top Spike reached down and pulled him up the final couple of feet with his belt. He flashed a quick grin as he was pulled over the ledge and then lay on the floor for a moment, sucking in air and waiting for the adrenalin buzz to wear off so his hands would stop shaking.

After a while he felt calmer and sat up, pulling his pack off and reaching into one of the side pockets. He pulled out a small black box that looked remarkably like a remote control, probably because that's what it originally was, and wriggled over so that he was looking down into the cavern. There was a touch on each of his arms, one from Faith and one from Spike, and he knew they were ready. Crossing his fingers he pressed a button and waited.

In the cavern there was the quiet sound of three charges going off, but the demons were now chanting so loudly they could not hear it. As they watched, purple smoke began to rapidly issue from the devices they had planted, wreathing around the chanting demons and quickly hiding them from view. That did not stop the sounds, though, and the chanting stumbled to a stop. Then cries and shrieks of pain, deep rumbling coughs and guttural cursing filled the cavern. None of the demons, though, emerged from the smoke and it was only a few breaths before the cavern was silent.

The green demon that had almost been sacrificed ran out of the smoke and scurried to the sewer exit as fast as it could. For a moment there was silence, and then Xander turned to Faith and Spike.

"We did it," Spike said, astonished. "Your bloody plan actually worked!"

"Of course," Xander said, slightly miffed at the surprise in the vampire's voice. "You doubted?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Doubted that a plan concocted by you and the witches could work? I'm not stupid, you know."

"Then why did you help?"

"So I could be here to laugh when it all went wrong," Spike said uncomfortably.

Faith smirked at him and he ducked his head and began fiddling with the zipper on his backpack. Xander watched the exchange, puzzled, but decided there were probably some things he just did not want to know.

"Well, it was fun," Faith grinned. "Watching demons suffer? Always big fun for me."

"Thank you."

"What'll we do now, boss?"

The mocking note in Faith's voice was irritating, but Xander had learnt not to rise to it. "We should check back with Giles before patrol. He'll want to know how it went."

***

Buffy lowered herself into the warm water and sighed. Her back had been aching all day, probably because she had been sitting down for most of it, and now she had cramps. The doctor called them Bersingsky . . . Bellingny . . . something or other cramps, and said they were nothing to worry about. Just warm-ups for the big day. She winced as a strong one ran through her. Concentrating, she breathed through the pain and relaxed when it was over. The warm water of her bath seemed to help and she rested her head on the back of the tub, letting the scented air wash over her and take the tension away with it. There was nothing that she wanted more than to have everything over and done with. The waiting, now that they had a plan, was more than she could stand. Each day seemed to last a lifetime and nothing took her mind off it.

Giles had been sweet and understanding throughout it. Even when she was screaming and wishing she could throw something he was patient. She smiled, reflecting again that she had been incredibly lucky to fall in love with someone as kind and wonderful as him.

Another wave of contraction ran through her and she concentrated on breathing and relaxing through it. She began to relax but another one followed a couple of minutes later. Buffy frowned. The contractions should be easing, not getting worse.

Even as she thought that she felt something inside pop, and she looked down.

Uh-oh.

The incongruous thought was completely out of place considering the gravity of the situation. These were not warm-up pains; she was in labour!

The panic faded after a moment to be replaced by a sense of determination. This was what she had been waiting for all these months. They had prepared, planned and practised and now it was time. Another wave of panic ran through her. The baby was not at term yet; she was not due for another two weeks.

A contraction forced her mind away from her panic and she took careful breaths while she waited for it to stop. As soon as the muscles relaxed again she carefully pushed herself up and, clinging to a towel rail for support, climbed out of the bath. It only took her a couple of minutes to dry off and pull on her robe before slowly waddling out of the bathroom. The next contraction hit her at the door of her bedroom and she gasped, leaning against the doorframe for support. 

Giles was lying on their bed, head propped on a fist as he read and waited for her. He looked up at the slight noise and went to her side so quickly Buffy did not even see him move.

"Are you all right, love?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist to support her.

"I'm fine," she panted, "just having a baby."

"I know that, I . . . good God, now?"

His eyes widened comically and Buffy grinned as the contraction eased. "Yes, now. Sorry, honey, but the baby doesn't seem to want to wait."

"But-but-but it's not time yet! Are you sure?"

Buffy nodded and said dryly, "My waters broke in the bath. I'm sure."

"Ah, well, I'd better . . ."

He trailed off uncertainly and looked around wildly, as though the bedroom walls would provide inspiration.

"You'd better get me to the bed and call Aunt Mary," Buffy said patiently.

Giles' panic would have been funny at any other time. She had seen him flustered, embarrassed, all sorts of fun things but panic was something her husband had never done before. He managed to get her to the bed, almost fluttering with his anxiety, and she lay down gratefully. Then he stood next to her, looking at her hopefully.

"Mary, phone," Buffy prompted.

He ran out of the room and she looked at the telephone beside their bed with a sigh.

***

Xander arrived at the door at the same time as Mary. Faith and Spike brought up the rear and they all looked at the white haired woman curiously.

She gave them a tense smile. "Buffy's gone into labour."

There was a moment of stunned surprise before Faith said, "She's not due yet! How can she be in labour?"

"Babies don't pay any attention to the due dates doctors give," Mary said with a sigh. "They tend to come in their own time. Buffy's in labour so you'd better get into position."

Spike nodded and silently left.

"Good thing Angel and his crew arrived yesterday, huh?" Xander asked. "Has anyone called them yet?"

The door opened and Giles immediately pulled Mary in, without even greeting her. Xander and Faith watched in open-mouthed amazement as the usually calm Watcher tugged Mary to the stairs. His eyes were filled with panic and they realised that for the first time they had known him he was out of his mind with worry.

"I think you might want to let them know," Mary said as she disappeared upstairs.

"Think they're ok?" Xander asked Faith.

"Dunno," Faith said, her eyes fixed on the staircase. "But I think we need to get moving if we're going to get everything set up in time. There are still about a dozen _Comedores_ wandering around Sunnydale somewhere."

Xander nodded and moved to the telephone as Faith ran quickly down to the basement.

***

Buffy bit her lip as another strong contraction ripped through her. She felt warm hands on her shoulders and knew that Giles was finally back. The contraction seemed to last forever but at last it was over and she could rest back against Giles' warm, solid chest.

"Hi," she whispered, looking up into his green eyes.

He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Hello."

Buffy heard a throat clearing and realised that Mary was trying to get her attention. "Hi. Is everything ok? Is it normal for a baby to come this early?"

Mary sat on the bed and rested a hand on her foot. "It's not unusual, no. The dates the doctors give you are only a rough guide. Your baby should be fine. Now, I need to examine you."

Buffy blushed but complied. Another wave of contraction hit her just as Mary finished her quick examination and this time Mary timed it as Buffy concentrated on her breathing. When it was over she rested against Giles again.

"What's the diagnosis?" she asked.

"How long have you been having contraction, dear?" Mary asked.

"About an hour, hour and a half. But my back's been aching all day."

Mary nodded.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

The older woman shook her head. "You're dilated about seven centimetres. You must have been in labour for several hours already before you felt the main contractions."

"Ah." Buffy absorbed the news for a moment. "Is this going to cause problems?"

"No, it shouldn't. It just means that this labour is probably going to be fairly fast."

"Fast I like," the Slayer said, breaking off as another contraction hit.

"Yes, I think this is going to be a fast labour," Mary concluded when the contraction eased.

***

Xander answered the door as soon as he heard the knock and found a worried Angel on the doorstep, with Cordelia and Wesley just behind him.

"How is she?" the vampire asked immediately. "Isn't it too soon?"

Xander stood back to allow them in. "Mary said it's ok. I haven't heard anything from up there yet so I guess the actual birth part of the birth hasn't started yet."

"Her timing couldn't have been better," Cordelia commented. "Did your plan work?"

Faith sauntered out of the lounge with a large bag. "Yup. Lots o' dead demons. Still a little over a dozen left, but I figure we can probably hold them off for a while. It was wicked cool."

Angel glanced at Xander and the younger man shrugged. "Like she said. We killed lots of demons and made it out alive. For once around here a plan went off without a hitch."

"Leaving us with only a few to worry about!" Cordelia said brightly. "So, what are these demons like?"

Faith and Xander exchanged glances.

"Big," Xander said.

"Ugly," Faith added.

"Incredibly strong."

"Horns."

"Merciless."

"Fast."

Wesley held up a hand and they stopped. "I think we get the picture now. What are we doing?"

"You're with Willow, Tara and Anya in the basement," Xander said quickly. "Magic duty. Angel, you're with me, Faith and Spike on perimeter defence. Uh, Cordelia, you're on . . ."

"Coffee duty?" the ex-cheerleader asked hopefully.

***

Buffy fell back against Giles, panting. The contractions were getting steadily more intense and the pain part of birth was starting to set in. It felt as though she had been doing this forever, when in reality it had probably only been a little over two hours.

When she managed to catch her breath she asked, "How am I doing?"

Mary smiled at her just. "Just fine, dear. You're at nine centimetres so it shouldn't be long before you can start pushing. Things are moving along nice and briskly."

"That's one way to put it," Buffy muttered.

She felt something cool on her forehead and smiled up at Giles as he ran a washcloth over her face. "Thanks."

"It's . . . well, it seems to be the only thing I can do," he said, planting a kiss on her lips. "You're the one doing all the work."

"Next time, you can do it."

"There-there's going to be a next time?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "If I have to go through this again, no. Right now I think I'd like a hospital with lots of painkillers. And one of those air thingies they have on TV."

"Gas and air," Mary said knowledgably. "Yes, that would probably make things easier. But-"

"I know, we can't get anyone else involved in this." Buffy paused. "Did Xander make it back ok?"

"I met them as I was coming in," the older woman told her. "From their expressions I would say it was a successful night. I believe your friend Angel and his friends arrived a while ago as well."

"Good."

Buffy closed her eyes and leaned back against Giles' chest. She had read somewhere that she had to conserve her strength between contractions, and right now that seemed like a good plan. But the baby had other ideas and after a minute she felt another contraction beginning.

"Ow," she commented.

***

Cordelia paused outside the door and listened. She could not hear anything, but Willow's soundproofing spell would probably have muffled a herd of stampeding elephants. She decided to be proactive and knocked hesitantly at the door.

After a minute it opened and the older woman she had met yesterday answered. "Yes?"

"Do you need anything?" she asked brightly. "I'm on fetch and carry duty tonight."

The white-haired woman looked back into the room before answering. "Could you find some ice-chips? Some towels would be nice too, dear."

"Ice-chips and towels, check," Cordelia nodded.

The door closed, leaving her abandoned on the landing. It took her a few minutes to find what she needed and then she was back at the bedroom door, knocking cautiously. There was no answer so she waited a moment and then opened the door a crack.

Inside she could hear harsh panting and, looking further in, saw Buffy lying on the bed with a pained expression. Her face was flushed and drenched with sweat. Giles, supporting her from behind, was not looking much better and for the first time Cordelia understood what they were all going through. It was not just a 'fighting demons' thing this time. They were fighting to protect Buffy who, for the first time that Cordelia could remember, looked vulnerable and . . . human.

With a final grunt Buffy fell back against Giles, who ran a washcloth over her face and whispered to her. After a moment the blonde woman smiled weakly and closed her eyes.

"Uh, ice-chips?" Cordelia said quietly, hating to break the moment.

Mary immediately stood and took the bowl out of her hands, gesturing for her to put the towels down on the chair.

"How is she?" the brunette woman asked.

"Bearing up," Mary said. "She's nearly ready to start pushing, so it shouldn't be too much longer. I think you'd better warn the others."

Cordelia nodded and slipped out. She immediately made her way to the basement, reasoning that the magic-group probably needed the warning more than the physical defence group. Not to mention that there were demons outside and she was still close enough to her old self not to want to meet large, strong demons with big horns.

The basement stank of burning herbs. Tara, Willow Anya and Wesley stood in a circle in the middle of the room. White tape formed symbols on the floor between them and the herbs were burning in a bowl in the middle of it. As she reached the bottom of the steps Wesley looked at her anxiously.

"How is she?"

Cordelia waggled her hand uncertainly. "She's giving birth; I don't think it's an easy thing for anyone. Mary said it should only be another couple of hours, maybe less."

Anya frowned. "You're not certain?"

"Birth isn't an exact science," Wesley said patiently as we walked to one of the couches and sat down. "There isn't a time limit."

"But the books-"

"Lie," Willow told her, taking one of the armchairs. "All those guides that say 'this will happen then'? It's just approximation. Some women are slower, some are faster."

"Oh."

Tara perched on the arm of Willow's chair and Anya hopped up to sit on the edge of the big table, frowning thoughtfully.

"So what you're saying," she said after a minute, "is that you can't tell what's going to happen to Buffy?"

"Well, not really," Willow said, resting her head on Tara's arm. "We know what happened to other women but each time it's slightly different. That's what happens when you're human."

"Oh."

Cordelia flopped onto the couch next to Wesley and indicated their spell set-up. "Are you meant to be making with the witchcraft?"

"Not yet," Wesley said with a sigh. "This is a kind of back-up. We can't do it until we need to."

"Why doesn't that fill me with confidence?"

***

Xander paced nervously outside the house. Each member of his team had taken one side of the house to guard, and he had been chosen to guard the front door. It was not out of respect for his fearsome fighting skills; it was mostly because the vampires in the team would have stood out too much on the front lawn. He bounced on his toes a little and then leaned nonchalantly against one of the trees so he could keep an eye on anything approaching. Briefly he wished he had a crossbow, or a really big sword, but standing in full view of any passing non-supernatural creature armed to the teeth would have been a one-way ticket to Sunnydale jail.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. Something rustled. Xander tightened his grip on the knife hidden up his jacket sleeve. Straining every sense he had, he waited.

There was a roar and a blur of motion, and he was flying through the air. He impacted with the wall of the house with a crunch and slid to the ground. There were bright stars before his eyes and his breath came in painful gasps.

As Xander lay on the ground another roar sounded from his left and he turned in time to see Spike attacking the _Comedores_ demon with a sword. His face was contorted with the ridges and fangs of his own demon and he snarled as he hacked away with his sword.

His large, horned opponent barely seemed to notice as the sword bit deeply, drawing blue blood. It roared again and brushed the vampire aside, but instead of heading into the house it ran down the street and was soon lost in the shadows.

Xander stood painfully and leaned against the tree as he waited for the world to stop spinning. Spike rolled and bounced to his feet, looking for his opponent.

"He went thatta way," Xander told him, pointing.

Spike shrugged. "So long as that way ain't this way. We've got enough of the bastards to worry about tonight."

"I don't think he went far."

"Yeah." Spike glanced up at the windows of the house before returning his attention to the human. "You all right?"

"Fine. Bruised, seeing stars, probably got multiple broken bones, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Good. It must be getting close to time."

"How do you work that out?"

The vampire glanced again at the windows before slowly beginning to make his way back to his post. "They wouldn't be bloody attacking if it weren't."

***

"Push!" Mary ordered.

"I," pant, "am," pant, "TRYING!" Buffy screamed.

This was the hardest thing she had even done. Pushing was taking every bit of her energy and she had nothing left to deal with the pain. Her world had narrowed to this moment. Demons, friends, Giles . . . none of it mattered now. The only thing that mattered was the baby.

The contraction began to ease and she gasped for breath.

"You just need one more big push," Mary said encouragingly.

Buffy flopped back against Giles and sighed wearily. "I don't know if I can. I'm so tired . . ."

"I know, love," her husband said, rubbing her arms soothingly. "But Mary's right. Just one more push and it'll be all over."

She whimpered but did not have the energy to protest. Instead she closed her eyes and let her weariness carry her away. She was almost on the verge of sleep when she felt the next contraction begin. Remembering Mary's words, Buffy opened her eyes and concentrated on pushing with every fibre of her being.

"Nearly," Mary muttered, and Buffy fought to find a little more strength from somewhere.

The next few moments were a confusion of images and sensations. She never knew later how to describe the moment she changed from being a girl into being a mother. She just remembered the relief as Mary told her to stop pushing and gently allowed the tiny baby to be born. For a long moment all was silent.


	30. Chapter 30

The silence was broken by a long, wailing cry. Buffy let out a sigh and strained to see.

"Congratulations, Buffy, Rupert," Mary said quietly, her voice filled with joy. "You have a beautiful baby girl."

Buffy felt Giles squeeze her shoulders and a hot tear ran down her cheek as she looked at her daughter for the first time.

***

Faith heard a crack, just before something fell on her with a deafening roar. The weight left her as soon as she hit the ground so she rolled and bounced to her feet, a knife in either hand. Pain in her arm, and she looked down to see blood running down from a gash in her right arm. The knife dropped from her fingers and she swore.

The dark Slayer whirled into a roundhouse kick, and it felt as though she had kicked a solid wall. The impact was painful and sent her off balance. Luck smiled on her because as she fell a claw-filled hand slashed where her head had been. Faith rolled again, swearing as she felt pain burning in her arm, and came up swiping at the demon with her remaining knife. It roared and brushed her off as though she was a small and mildly irritating fly.

Faith could hear cries and shouts from the rest of her team but the demon in front of her had all her attention. She kicked and punched, slashed and pummelled, but the creature fended her off without faltering. It was bleeding from her knife thrusts, thin trails of blue blood mingling with its fur, but nothing stopped it.

Frustrated and in pain, Faith retreated a couple of paces and gathered her strength for another kick. It never happened as another snarling demon hit her from behind, throwing her back against the house. She felt something crack as she hit the wall and slid to the ground. For a stunned moment she simply sat, feeling the pain rush through her body. Then she put a hand to her side and felt something hot and sticky against her fingers.

She swore again and slowly levered herself into a sitting position. The demon that had thrown her joined its companion and they moved away slightly. Faith had to make a decision. She was injured, bleeding and the demons were apparently indestructible. Either she could make a futile last stand or she could retreat, and live to protect Buffy and the baby.

The decision was taken out of her hands when she felt strong hands on her arms and looked up to see Angel and Spike standing over her.

"Time to make a like a rabbit, pet," the blonde vampire said.

"I need-"

"You can't protect Buffy if you're dead, can you?" Angel cut her off.

The two vampires hauled her up and half-carried her to the kitchen door. Xander was already waiting for them and Faith heard a roar behind her as the demons spotted the open door.

"You're right," Faith panted. "Now get me the hell in there!"

The stumbled over the doorstep and Xander closed the door behind her.

***

The circle in the basement had formed again and Cordelia watched nervously as they began chanting. Whatever they were doing was not in English and, as they formed the words, a ball of light formed above the bowl of herbs. Cordelia could see sweat forming Willow's forehead as the ball gradually got bigger and brighter. The air in the room suddenly became thicker, almost a physical entity, and it felt as though there were tiny electric shocks coursing over Cordelia's skin. She shivered and shook her hands to try to get rid of the feeling.

As the ball of light grew bigger it began to hum, a pure, crystalline sound that reminded Cordelia of a champagne glass being struck. Slowly the ball of light began to turn, picking up speed until it was a small whirlwind of light. The humming grew louder until it abruptly stopped, just as it was reaching a painful intensity. At the same time the whirlwind of energy exploded sending shards of light to every corner of the room and through the walls.

Cordelia blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room and realised that her friends were sitting slumped on the floor. The walls of the basement gave off a faint, pulsing light but she ignored it as she rushed to Willow's side.

"What was that?" she asked as the redheaded witch looked up at her groggily.

"Protection spell," Willow answered, wincing and rubbing her head. "Pretty powerful. Nothing can get into the house now until we take it down, or it fails."

"Fails? How likely is that?" Cordelia asked nervously.

"Uh, the spell should last about five hours."

"And then?"

"The house is still protected from magic . . ."

"But?" Cordelia waited but nobody answered her. "Oh. Spell fails, _Comedores_ get in, we . . ."

"That about sums it up."

***

"Shit," Faith muttered as Angel pulled the tatters of her shirt away from the gash in her side.

"Sorry," he apologised.

"Not your fault."

She felt a burning sting as the tall vampire began washing the wound out. "How long do you think that'll hold?"

The walls of the kitchen were glowing faintly and, outside, the Comedores demons were pounding on the walls. The rhythmic booming sound set Faith's teeth on edge.

"Few hours," Angel said absently. "It's pretty strong stuff; nothing can get in while that holds."

"Good. I'm not sure I want those things in here," she said, wincing from the pain.

"Good for us for a while."

"But?"

He looked up at her. "The air supply will only hold out for a few hours."

"Oh." Faith thought for a moment. "I think they need to work the bugs outta that one."

***

Enclosed safely in her mother's arms, the baby yawned sleepily and closed her eyes. Buffy smiled and felt a burst of such incredible love for the tiny creature that her throat contracted and she had to swallow twice just to be able to breath. How had one being, only in her life for less than an hour, managed to close her hands so tightly around her heart? She knew then why Louisa had made the choice she had. If it came down to it, she would make the same one in a heartbeat. This tiny baby, with all her future and life ahead of her, was worth far more than anything in this world. Buffy smiled down at her daughter and gently touched her cheek.

"I love you," she whispered. "You're my daughter, and nothing can ever change that. I want to be here for your first smile, your first step, your first word . . . your first day at school . . . your graduation. I don't want you to ever go through what I have. If there is anything I can do to keep you safe, I'll do it. And I'll do it gladly because I love you. You're my baby, and I'd give my life for you."

"You won't have to do that, pet."

Buffy looked up to see Spike lounging in the doorway as they had agreed. She had persuaded Giles to go downstairs with Mary so that she could be on her own for this. Some things were better done alone.

"I'm ready to run your errand," the vampire continued. "Just give me the stuff and I'll be gone."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "You know that they'll kill you if they catch up to you."

"And that's why you got me, isn't it? They won't catch me."

She studied him curiously. Faith's information about Spike's feelings for her had surprised her, until she began watching him. The plan had formed in her mind but she had honestly not expected the vampire to be willing to carry it out. But he was standing here, with blood running down his face and a rip in his precious leather coat, and there was not a hint of deceit in his face. He was going out there to carry out her plan even with the knowledge that he might die a painful death. And he was doing it to save her.

"Faith was right," she murmured.

Spike paled slightly but met her eyes. "I don't care what the bitch told you, I have my reasons for doing this."

"I know."

Buffy carefully freed a hand and reached under her pillow to pull something out. She held it out on the palm of her hand and Spike took it, holding it up to the light. The thin gold chain had a globe of pure amber suspended on it that gleamed and glinted as it spun lazily.

"Will this work?" the vampire asked, fastening the chain around his neck and hiding it under his T-shirt.

"They'll think you've got the baby with you," Buffy confirmed. "Hopefully they'll follow you."

Spike looked at her doubtfully. "Pet, why would they chase a vampire even if they can feel the baby on me?"

Buffy picked up and bundle of rags and held them out. "Because if you're carrying these you'll look like you've got the baby. You'll be dead anyway if they get close enough to realise that you haven't got the baby."

"Thanks. I'm touched by your concern."

He shifted the bundle until it felt right and then frowned at her. "You'll be all right?"

"I hope so."

Quick as a flash he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before hurrying out of the room.

"Good luck, pet," she heard as he descended the stairs.

"Good luck to you. I think you'll need it."

***

Gizmo watched the vampire run down the stairs and sighed. Time was running out. She could feel shivers of energy running through her fur and managed to resist the temptation to sit down and clean it. There were more important things for her to do.

***

Willow slumped down in her chair at the kitchen table. The spell had taken most of her reserves and she could only be glad that she had not attempted it alone. Wesley, Tara and Anya were not functioning much better and she smiled gratefully as Cordelia set a sugar-laden cup of coffee down in front of her.

"Does anyone know how Buffy is?" she asked.

Wesley smiled weakly at her. "Mother and daughter are doing fine."

"She had a girl?" Willow grinned. "Yay for Buffy. I can't wait to see her."

"For now it's probably better if she stays upstairs," the ex-Watcher cautioned.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

The news appeared to lighten everyone's spirits and Willow watched as backs were straightened and her team-mates began sipping at their coffees with more enthusiasm. The only thing blighting the moment was the rhythmic pounding against their barrier. For a moment there was companionable silence and the redheaded witch took a long swallow of the hot, sweet drink, feeling her energy renewed a little as it was absorbed.

"Red! I need a door!"

The shout from the stairs made them all turn and moments later Spike rushed into the room, stopping at the kitchen door.

"Uh, the general idea is that nothing can get in," Willow said slowly. "Me opening a door would kind of defeat the purpose."

"I don't need it permanent or anything. I just need to get out." Spike punched the doorframe, wincing.

"Why?"

"Why?" Spike almost screamed. "Just open the bloody door and get me out of here!"

"I see," Wesley said, resettling his glassed. "You've decided that helping a Slayer isn't your cup of tea, so you want to get out now before you die."

The blonde vampire rolled his eyes. "If that's what you want to think, fine. Just get me out." He lowered his voice. "Tosser."

"Willow, why don't you do as he asks?" Wesley asked, glaring at Spike. "Let the coward out and we won't have to stake him later."

Shrugging, Willow stood up. For some reason she was vaguely disappointed in the vampire; it had seemed, at least for a while, as though he was genuinely trying to help Buffy. But sometimes nature had to win out and this was one of those times.

As the most experienced member of the group she had been chosen as the focus so she was the only one who could open a door. This had the downside that when the barrier failed she would be the one who would feel it. She felt a warm hand twine with her fingers, warmth coursing through her arm to replace her own flagging energy, and smiled briefly at Tara before concentrating on the door.

"Portal," she commanded, and watched with satisfaction as the shining barrier parted and created a small doorway.

The effort need to hold it open was incredible and as Spike slipped through she had to strain, feeling as though she was clawing at a smooth surface with greasy hands. As soon as he disappeared outside she released the doorway and slumped back. Tara was immediately there, with an arm around her shoulders and propping her up until she recovered enough to sit up unaided.

"Thanks."

Tara smiled her sweet smile and Willow could not help smiling back. They sat like that for one frozen moment, unable to say anything and unwilling to move.

"Look!" Cordelia called from the window. "Is that Spike's car?"

Sure enough, when they looked out of the window a black car was shooting away down the road. It careened around a corner and was out of sight. Outside, several of the demons lifted their heads and fixed their eyes on the car. The pounding on the house halted and they held their breaths.

Four of the demons bolted for the road and ran in the direction Spike had driven off in. After a minute's pause the pounding resumed as the demons threw all their weight against the barrier.

"What was that about?" Willow asked.

"It didn't work," a voice said from behind them, and they turned to see Buffy standing next to the table.

In her arms lay the sleeping baby and Willow thought she had never seen a more beautiful creature. Tufts of dark hair peeked out from under a wool bonnet and the tiny infant was wrapped in a soft yellow blanket.

"Wow," she breathed.

Buffy sat down with a sigh, absently rocking the baby gently. "The _Comedores_ demons were meant to follow Spike and leave us alone."

"Some of them did," Willow said hopefully, crossing the kitchen and kneeling next to her best friend. "We'll think of something. They're stronger than they were."

"Yeah. Must be something to do with the approaching Apocalypse."

Tentatively Willow reached out and stroked a tiny hand. "Have you named her yet?"

"Do you want to tell them, love?" Giles asked as he entered the kitchen, closely followed by Mary.

He moved to stand behind his blonde wife, resting his hands on her shoulders and dropping a kiss on her head. As he looked down at his new daughter and a smile softened his features and Willow felt her eyes stinging with tears as she saw the love in his eyes.

"Yeah," Buffy said, tilting her head back to look at him. "It's only fair."

She kissed her daughter's forehead and turned to the group with a brilliant smile. "Her name is Charlotte Louisa Giles."

***

Gizmo ran down the stairs, missing her footing as a strong shiver shook her little body, but managing to control her fall so that she landed on her feet. There were a few advantages to a cat's body, after all, and the tail was a big one of them. She landed at the foot of the stairs and crouched. Her whiskers trembled as she reached out her senses. A storm was gathering.

***

Faith practically hummed with impatience as she waited for Angel to finish bandaging her cuts. Although they were deep, with Slayer healing they would probably heal in a couple of days. However they would slow her down until they were healed and the broken ribs she had sustained from the impact with the house would hinder her further. It hurt to breath and, she flexed her arm, it was going to hurt like hell to use most of her weapons.

"Crap," she muttered.

"It could have been worse," Angel said optimistically.

"Yeah? How?"

"You could have been thrown higher and had broken legs as well."

"Thanks for the cheery thought." Faith paused and looked at him closely. "How can you stand this?"

"Stand what?"

"Knowing that she's up there having someone else's baby. How can you protect her - hell, we're probably going to die - knowing that she'll never love you again."

The tall vampire turned away from her and began silently putting away his first-aid supplies. Faith could see from the set of his shoulders that she had hit a nerve.

"Look, if you're gonna turn all brooding on me just forget I mentioned it," she muttered, pulling her torn shirt tightly around her.

"No, it's all right," he said at last, turning. "I'm doing this because I love her. There is no one else in the world I could ever love this way. But I know that it isn't healthy for her to love me so if she's found happiness with someone else, so be it. And because I love her I will do anything in my power to ensure she stays safe and happy, even if it means sacrificing myself to do it."

Faith searched his eyes but could only see sincerity and implacable resolve. She wondered briefly what it would be like to have someone love her that way, before dismissing the thought. Right now she had a job to do and she was not getting it done sitting in here.

She wrapped her torn shirt tightly around her and tucked it into her jeans, hoping it would at least stay moderately decent. Normally it would not have occurred to her to think about that but tonight felt different. Tonight was the kind of night where doing the right thing was all that counted. Possibly tonight was the biggest expression of love anyone could give.

The pounding outside paused briefly before resuming and she grimaced. Those demons just did not know when to give up.

She entered the kitchen just in time to hear Buffy name her daughter, Angel on her heels. It was the first time she had seen the child that she had carried for a few, short hours and she swallowed as a strange emotion welled up inside. That child, so innocent, was what they were fighting for. Something inside broke and changed. It was something so profound that for a moment she was frozen as the implications of it overwhelmed her. For the first time in her life there was something she would be willing to sacrifice herself for. Was this unconditional love?

In the middle of Faith's self-revelation something outside illuminated the kitchen with a garish red light. It was gone in a flash but the thunder as it impacted with the barrier was deafening. Faith staggered and caught herself against the doorjamb. She watched as Willow gasped, paled and slid from her chair.

"What's going on?" she shouted above a strange low-pitched hum that seemed to be emanating from outside the house.

"I-I-I don't know," the redheaded witch gasped.

The hum reached an almost painful pitch and then Faith watched in horror as a ball of brilliant red light hurtled from the sky and smashed against their barrier. It impacted with a thundering roar and the room shook again. Willow grimaced in pain and Tara slid down to sit next to her, taking the redheaded witch in her arms.

"Red, how long will the shield last?" Faith asked, straining to be heard over another building hum.

Willow shuddered but did not answer so the Slayer turned to Wesley.

He shook his head worriedly. "I don't know. Not much longer though."

Another ball of light hit the barrier and its pale white light briefly fluttered before stabilising.

"Anyone got any more bright ideas?" Faith asked, moving closer to Buffy.

The blonde Slayer was pale but a light of determination showed in her eyes.

There was deathly silence in the room. There were no ideas. No plans. No more reserves. Their last cards had been played.

In the sudden stillness, the sound of another approaching fireball was deafeningly loud. It hit the barrier with stunning force. The shield's light flickered once . . . twice . . . and failed.


	31. Chapter 31

The shield was gone. After the shrieks and roars of the fireballs and the constant pounding on the shield, the silence was eerie. It became a palpable thing, a living entity. Within that silence it was almost possible to believe that the rest of the world had disappeared.

Buffy looked around the room at the people she had come to think of as her family. They were all as stunned as she was. What could they do now? There were too many _Comedores_ left for them to be able to hold out long. Their strongest magic-wielder lay half-conscious on the floor at her feet. If a Slayer and two vampires could not even kill one of the creatures, what hope did they stand against ten of the things?

The silence was broken by the sound of scrabbling claws on tile as Gizmo tore into the kitchen. She slid to a halt, tripping and tumbling nose after tail but managing to land on all four paws. Her little body shook, her fur stood on end and she hissed loudly at the door. Buffy spared her a quick glance before turning back to the more pressing problem.

Faith moved to stand protectively in front of her. She could feel the tension in the air. Behind her, Giles tightened his hands on her shoulders. Nothing moved outside.

A clinking sound drew her attention to the door just as Xander hurried inside with a large bag. She immediately recognised it as their back-up collection of weapons as he began handing out axes, maces, swords and crossbows to everyone who could hold them.

"It's not much," he said apologetically as he gave Cordelia a helm axe, "but it's the best we've got."

Faith stashed her knife in her belt and took a crossbow and a heavy sword. "May as well go out fighting."

Armed, the group took up positions around the kitchen. Still nothing moved outside and Buffy fidgeted nervously. In front of her Gizmo hissed again and sneezed as another shiver wracked her body.

"I wish they'd do something, already," the blonde Slayer muttered.

Gizmo sneezed again and Buffy glanced down at her quickly. She frowned and looked at the little cat again. She was not simply shivering - she was vibrating!

As Buffy watched, a spark of light dropped from Gizmo's whisker. Another quickly followed. Within seconds, multi-coloured sparks of light were cascading down Gizmo's fur and grounding in the kitchen floor. The power radiating from the cat was incredible. Buffy felt the hair on her arms rise as though she was in a room filled with static electricity.

"Willow, what's happening to Gizmo?" she asked, still slightly stunned.

The redheaded witch roused enough to raise her had and look at the cat, her eyes widening with astonishment. "I don't know. It looks as though she's become a power-sink of some kind. Tara, have you ever . . ?"

Tara shook her head quickly. "Never. Her aura . . . it's not a cat aura anymore."

The sparks of light increased until Gizmo was hidden behind a molten ball of coruscating multi-coloured light.

Suddenly the room was filled with the sound of smashing glass and Buffy turned to the windows. A large, clawed hand smashed through quickly followed by another. At the door another hand smashed through the little window. The sound of splintering wood joined it as a large foot broke through the door. She could hear Faith quietly swearing as she tensed. Buffy held her baby closer to her chest even though she knew the effort was probably futile. They could not hope to hold out against ten of the demons, and even as that thought ran through her head the kitchen door flew inwards. It hit Anya and she fell, cracking her head on a counter as she went down.

Where before there had been silence now there were roars, curses and the sound of fighting. Faith pulled out her knife and threw it at a _Comedores_ , screaming triumphantly as the blade sank into its forehead. The demon rocked back for a moment before shaking its head and continuing to advance. She brought up her crossbow and fired. A bolt sank into its chest but was hidden by its long fur.

"Why won't you die?" she yelled, throwing the bow aside and drawing the sword.

She took up a wide-legged stance, weaving the tip of her sword, and waited for the creature to attack. But the attack never came.

The room was suddenly filled with a blinding white light. Buffy closed her eyes against it but she could still feel the light against her skin. Her eyes began to water painfully. She heard a sound so beautiful she thought her heart would break. It was as though a multitude of voices were singing a note so pure and perfect that anything she heard afterwards would be discordant and ugly.

The note carried on endlessly and lasted a heartbeat. She was eternally in that moment but never existed. She basked in the light and the voice, feeling it fill her until she overflowed and could hold no more. Joy and pain mingled and became one. If anything could ever truly be said to agony and ecstasy, this was it. Nothing else had ever completed her so utterly. Everything after this moment would seem colourless by comparison.

Slowly the light and the music died, leaving the room in comparative darkness. Buffy blinked against the after-images burnt into her eyes and her ears rang. After a few breaths her vision began to clear and she could look around, wiping the tears from her eyes with a shaking hand.

Something began to glow faintly in the middle of the room. It increased in intensity until she could see a figure standing there bathed in pure white light. There was no sign of Gizmo anywhere. Instead a tall woman with short blonde hair stood in her place. Her green eyes looked strangely familiar, until Buffy realised that they reminded her of the little cat she had sheltered for the past few months. She was draped with white robes, which were the source of the beautiful light that now softly lit up the kitchen. She turned and fixed her eyes on Buffy. The Slayer blushed as she felt the intensity of the woman's gaze.

"Thank you."

Her voice was beautiful. It lilted musically and Buffy thought she could listen to it forever. Light . . . sunshine . . . summer . . . majestic waterfalls and tiny streams . . . wind in a forest and storms at sea . . . it was all in her voice and more besides. The woman smiled and it was pure joy.

"Wh-wh-what for?" Buffy managed to stammer.

"You took me in and sheltered me. For that I thank you." The woman stepped closer and reached out a hand to gently brush Faith's cheek. "And you I thank for your love. Your ability to love was never lost; it was merely hidden for a time."

Faith nodded slowly, her eyes wide with surprise and wonder.

The woman's appearance had struck the _Comedores_ motionless for a moment but they chose that moment to recover from their shock. Two of them moved to renew the attack, roaring and snarling. The being that had been Gizmo simply held up a hand and they froze in mid-step.

"How did you do that?" Buffy gasped.

Her only answer was a mysterious smile.

Willow struggled to sit up supported by Tara. "Who are you?"

"I am, I was, and I will be again," was all she said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Willow."

"It is good to know who you are." The strange woman paused. "A name can encompass everything about you or nothing at all."

"Okaaay," Buffy drawled slowly. "Do you mind explaining that or are you gonna talk riddles all night? Who are you and how did you get here?"

The glowing woman's chuckle was low and rich. "So impatient, young one."

"That's me, impatient as all get out." Buffy could hardly believe that she was finding the courage to speak so frankly to the woman who filled her mind with wonder and her heart with joy.

"Very well, child. I was your child's protector, her guardian if you will. My task now is almost over."

The strange woman stepped back and beckoned. Without conscious thought Buffy stood and looked down at her child. Charlotte slept on peacefully, undisturbed by the chaos around her. Her sweet face was utterly content. Buffy brushed her cheek and smiled. It was hard to believe that this beautiful child was hers but, looking back at her husband, she knew that it was true.

She returned her attention to their strange guest. "You knew what would happen? Why didn't you try to protect her before, say . . . when I was being kidnapped? Or maybe when the Watchers were trying to take her away? You could even have tried protecting her before those creatures tried to attack us tonight."

"Are they troubling you know?" the taller woman asked, indicating the motionless demons.

"They're ugly, they're in my house and they wanted to kill my child. Yeah, they're troubling me."

"Very well."

She clapped her hand and there was a bright flash of light. When Buffy's eyes cleared again she looked around. No demons. No sign of the demons. Nothing to show they had even broken into the house. Faith looked down at her stomach with wonder, touching the spot where a moment ago there had been a deep, painful gash.

"Wh . . . how . . . uh, how . . . how?" Buffy stuttered.

"Yes, what have you done?" Giles asked, finally shaking off his stupor. "Where have you sent them?"

"Sent them? Why should I send them anywhere? Those abominations should never have existed." The unearthly woman frowned. "They should have been attended to long ago but . . . they will never trouble you again. Never again will a Slayer have to fear her own child. What is created by love should not cause pain."

"You mean you just," Faith waved a hand expressively, "and they were gone? Now that is a neat trick."

The blonde woman shrugged one beautiful shoulder. "It was nothing. This, however, is much more important."

She beckoned again and Buffy stepped closer, holding Charlotte out. Part of her knew that she was insane to trust this woman who had appeared without explanation or reason, but another part could not help it. She had to trust her. The purity that radiated from her was inescapable.

Charlotte whimpered and woke up. Her baby blue eyes were unfocused for a moment but then she turned her head towards her glowing guardian. It felt as though a bell rang in Buffy's head as the blue eyes met green. Charlotte gravely regarded the tall woman and her serious gaze was returned. For a moment there was a wordless communication before Charlotte turned away and giggled. Buffy smiled in amazement. Her child had already laughed. Hopefully this would be a good sign for Charlotte's future.

"Hail, child, and well met," the creature that had been Gizmo said formally.

Then she reached out and placed her hand over Charlotte's heart. White light streamed from her hand to bathe the tiny infant. Charlotte shivered but otherwise held perfectly still as she was washed with light and Buffy felt the warmth of the loving gesture.

The woman closed her hand and the light trickled away until Charlotte looked no different to any other child.

Until, that is, Buffy looked into her eyes. Moments before, the baby's eyes had been bright blue versions of her father's. Now they were dark grey.

"What have you done?" demanded Buffy. "Have you hurt her?"

"Never. I have simply done what I was sent here for. Now that it is done I may leave."

"Leave? But you only just got here," Faith protested.

Their strange benefactor chuckled again. "I have been here long enough to do what I came for. Isn't that what everyone does? Do not weep, child, for you may yet see me again. I take many forms."

She glided across the room to stand before Mary and reached out to take her hand. "Do not carry your guilt any more. She never blamed you. And now you have given another woman the chance you could not give her. Your time will come and she will wait for you at the gate."

Mary gasped and a tear ran down her cheek. Faith immediately moved to her side and put out a hand. Abruptly the older woman turned to her and began to cry softly. For a moment Faith stood awkwardly before putting her arms around Mary and holding her tightly.

"Fare you well, until we meet again."

Even as the extraordinary woman spoke her light grew brighter and brighter until Buffy was forced to close her eyes again. The beautiful sound of her voice echoed and gradually faded as the light dimmed. And then she was gone.

***

Faith rubbed Mary's back soothingly, muttering without even concentrating on what she was saying. Slowly the older woman calmed until her sobs had died to occasional hiccups.

"What was that about?" she asked when she judged that Mary could speak.

"Louisa didn't blame me," Mary said, her voice filled with wonder.

"What would she have blamed you for?"

"I should have stopped it . . . saved her. She shouldn't have died."

"There was no way you could have saved her. Those things out there are practically indestructible. We had to make demon nerve-gas just to thin them out - there's no way you could have taken them on single-handed." Faith grinned crookedly. "In the end we needed a shape-changing cat to handle them."

***

Buffy leaned shakily against Giles, who wrapped one arm around her waist and gently touched his daughter's face with his free hand.

"Did what just happen . . . really happen?" Buffy asked softly. "Is it really all over?"

"Yes, love, I think it might all be over," Giles said just as quietly. "And I still have the two most beautiful ladies in the world in my arms. I think I'm feeling very grateful to Gizmo right now, whatever she was."

"Yeah." Buffy rested her head on Giles' shoulder. "What do you think she was?"

He kissed her forehead. "I have no idea. I don't expect I ever will. I certainly can't imagine we'll ever see her again."

***

Willow sagged back against Tara, feeling safe and contented as the blonde girl rested her chin on her shoulder. It was an incredible feeling to sit surrounded by love and looking at the sweet face so close to hers, Willow knew that was what had been building up between them. She felt connected to Tara in ways she did not understand but wanted to so much.

***

Xander crouched next to Anya and tenderly brushed her hair off her face.

"Ahn, are you all right?"

Anya stirred. "No. My head hurts. What happened?"

"I have no idea. But I think Gizmo just saved us."

"That's good." Anya froze in the middle of struggling to sit up. "Uh, isn't Gizmo a cat?"

***

Cordelia sat on a counter between Angel and Wesley. The two men were silent and she looked between them.

"Hey, is anyone in there?" she muttered under her breath. "So, what do you think happened?"

"Well, it's obvious that she was an unusual entity. Something not of this earth," Wesley began. "Somehow she vanquished the Comedores do Mondo and then . . . and she came from . . . I have no idea."

"Angel, are you all right?" asked Cordelia.

The vampire turned to regard Giles and Buffy. As they watched, the tall Watcher kissed her on the mouth and then tenderly kissed his daughter. Buffy said something and he looked down at her with love shining from his eyes.

"Yeah, pretty much," Angel said eventually. "She's happy now."

"Yeah, she looks it."

"We ought to . . ."

"Yeah." Cordelia hopped down. "Do you think Dairy Queen is still open?"


	32. Chapter 32

Buffy hummed happily under her breath as she folded tiny yellow romper suits. Lotty's bassinette was set up next to the couch she sat on and the baby was sleeping contentedly. The laundry basket at her feet was filled with a mixture of baby clothes and her own but she could not have been happier. Over the past two months life had finally settled down, more than she had ever thought it could when she had stood in the kitchen with her family making their final stand.

Everyone was out at college or work so the house was empty and for the first time Buffy finally had time to reflect on how much her life had changed in less than a year. She grinned. A year ago she had been a college student, footloose and fancy-free. The idea of being a married child had been unthinkable. After all, how did Slayers find husbands? The answer had been staring her in the face even though she had not realised it. Her love had been there for her ever since she came to Sunnydale although it had taken her three years to recognise him.

Maybe that was what had changed the most for her over the past year. Her ability to see beyond the surface, into the true depths of a person, was better. She no longer made snap-judgements about people. After all it was that tendency that had cut her off from Giles for so long.

But it was the birth of her baby, a creature that depended solely on the people around her, which had changed her most. She could no longer make choices based on what she wanted and what would be best for her. Lotty came first in everything, and if that meant she had to sacrifice something then so be it. There was no place for self-absorption in her life anymore.

Buffy smoothed a tiny green and purple sleep-suit out on her lap. Lotty was growing at an incredible rate. Although she was only two months old she was already ounces heavier than her age-mates. But that extra weight had been turned into inches rather than fat and the doctor thought that she would be a tall adult. Which was not surprising, considering the height of her father and his family. If Lotty was even as tall as Mary she would be a tall woman, and Buffy grinned at the idea. Little Lotty was not going to be an accurate nickname in a few years.

As though she sensed her mother's thoughts, Lotty woke up and gave a snuffling sigh.

"Hey, you're not meant to be awake yet," Buffy said with a grin as she shuffled to the end of the sofa and peeked over the edge of the bassinette. "Your daddy isn't home yet, so don't go griping if I can't sing to you like he can."

Lotty crossed her eyes and blew a raspberry. 

"You, little miss, are getting impertinent. Is that anyway to look at your mother?"

A tiny hand closed around Buffy's outstretched finger and shook it.

Buffy's delighted smile spoke more than words say. "Guess we'll need to find you some rattles soon or something. Not that you need any more toys, but you know your daddy. He just can't resist them."

Lotty blew another raspberry and tugged on Buffy's finger, bringing it to her mouth and so she could chew on it with toothless gums.

"Sweetheart," Buffy cooed, "are you hungry?"

Wrinkling her nose, Lotty gazed up at her mother. Her grey eyes twinkled cheekily as she tried to produce a baby-smile around a mouthful of finger.

Buffy heard the front door open and close and then footsteps approaching the lounge. It was much too early to be Giles, Faith or Xander so the only person left was Willow.

"Hey," she greeted as the redheaded witch trotted into the lounge. "How's my favourite Wicca?"

Willow dropped her book bag next to a chair and immediately moved to the side of the bassinette. She grinned at Lotty who returned her gaze gravely for a moment before closing her eyes as she yawned.

"I'm fine," she said absently. "And you? And Lotty? How's my favourite kinda-niece."

"Your kinda-niece is being as good as gold today," Buffy said with an indulgent grin. "Isn't Tara with you?"

"She's got an English class," Willow said, pouting. "I think she's gonna meet me here later."

"Lonesome already?" Buffy teased.

Willow blushed. "No, just cursing the gods of class scheduling that made comp-sci run an hour earlier than English Lit."

"Will, it is all ok, isn't it? You're happy, right?"

"Of course I am. I've never been this happy. You're safe, Lotty's great, and now I have Tara. It's like someone up there is rewarding us for everything we've had to do over the past few years."

"Maybe something is."

"Yeah, maybe."

Willow sat down in an armchair on the other side of the bassinette just as Button ambled into the room. The black cat gazed around sleepily before making his way over his owner and hopping into her lap. He curled up and promptly went to sleep.

"I was worried, at first, that he'd miss Gizmo," Willow said, stroking his thick fur. "But I don't think he's awake long enough to."

Buffy looked at the happily oblivious cat. "He slept through demons, fireballs and weird glowing women. He'd sleep through anything."

"Yeah. So, have you chosen Lotty's university yet?"

"Will! I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Uh, you and Giles argued last night about her high school classes. Yeah, you're that bad." Willow grinned at her. "Poor Lotty, isn't she going to have any say?"

"Sure. It's just . . . it's hard not to want to plan. Through the whole pregnancy I didn't even feel right planning anything after she was born. Now we have this whole life ahead of us and . . . I want to make sure it all happens. That we use this gift we've been given."

Willow smiled sweetly. "You will. I think we're all doing the second chances thing right now. I know I am."

"Yeah."

Buffy picked up a stuffed penguin from the small pile of toys under the bassinette and began playing with Lotty. Although she was only two months old, the baby could now focus on the toy and she giggled happily as Buffy made the penguin dance around in front of her.

After a few minutes the ringing of the doorbell intruded into their peaceful playtime. Buffy looked at Willow hopefully and the witch sighed but stood to answer it. The blonde Slayer heard the door open and then the sound of voices, but it was too low for her to make out details. Then the door closed and footsteps approached down the hallway. She looked up in time to see Willow leading Quentin Travers into the lounge.

Buffy immediately stood and placed herself between Lotty and the Watcher. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Mrs Giles, I see your manners haven't improved," Travers said, his voice dripping sarcasm. "It's nice to see you again."

"Well, I could go whole life-times without seeing you again, so the feeling isn't mutual."

"Really, why do you insist on being so antagonistic?"

Buffy glared. "You locked me in a house with an insane vampire, you fired my Watcher, you told me you were going to kill my baby and you kidnapped me. Just in time for me to get kidnapped back by a cult of demons. I can't imagine why that doesn't make me want to put you on the Christmas card list."

Travers smiled coldly. "The famed Summers wit, I see. Well, well, it can't be helped."

Willow moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her best friend, incidentally shielding Lotty from Travers' view. "You're making a big mistake, buster. I'm a powerful witch now. Oh, yeah, I'm big with the power. If you're not careful I'll turn you into a . . . not a frog . . . oh, yeah, into a goldfish."

Travers looked at her curiously. "Mrs Giles, how do you manage to inspire such mindless devotion?"

"Just lucky, I guess," Buffy said shrugging. "Now, what are you here for?"

"It's quite simple, really. That child you're trying to hide is of vital importance to us. She is the first child of a Slayer to survive birth. I am here to retrieve her and take her to England, where she can be studied properly."

***

Giles parked the car and spent a moment just sitting there, reflecting as usual on how lucky he was to be going home to his beautiful wife and their equally beautiful daughter. Some people might regard it as overly sentimental, but after all his years as a Watcher he was developing a firm belief that there was something out there that watched over them. It might not always be in the way they expected, but how else could he explain the good fortune that had reigned over them all for the past few weeks? They had been through hell and now it was as though they were being rewarding for surviving it. And after the events surrounding little Lotty's birth he was not inclined to argue the point. It just was.

Sighing, he got out of the car and made his way to the front door. As soon as he entered the house he knew something was wrong. His heart sank. The last time he'd had this feeling it had been the beginning of their nightmare. Although he now had a beautiful daughter from it, the idea of something else terrible happening . . . well, it was not worth contemplating. And just when he thought that everything was getting better.

The house was silent but he could feel the tension even from the front door. He dropped his briefcase and immediately hurried to the lounge without even stopping to consider that Buffy could be somewhere else. He just knew where she was.

Giles entered the room just in time to hear Travers tell Buffy that he was taking Lotty away. The older Watcher had his back to the door so he could not know that Giles was home.

"And how, pray tell, do you propose to do that?" he asked Travers, giving the man what Buffy referred to as his 'Ripper glare'.

Travers jumped and spun around to face Giles. A cold smile slowly crossed his face.

"Well well, if it isn't Mr Giles himself. So good to see you survived." Travers' eyes told a completely different story. "I was just telling your good wife-"

"I heard," Giles cut him off. "And I believe I speak for everyone when I say, go to hell."

"You are picking up some bad habits, Mr Giles," Travers said reprovingly.

"Do you know? I don't think I've ever cared about anything less." Giles moved around Travers to stand next to Buffy, putting his arm around her waist. "Any bad habits I may have picked up don't seem to matter to my family, so why should I care what a bunch of prissy old men in England think of me?"

"Because we have the power and authority to take your daughter back to England with us. I'd advise you to be very careful how you address us."

Giles felt Buffy give his hand on her hip a reassuring squeeze as she spoke. "I think that you are a very stupid man, Mr Travers. Or can I call you Quentin? You see, you've had at least one child of a Slayer under your noses for years but you didn't recognise it. I'd imagine that if one survived before Lotty, there must have been others. You are so obsessed with controlling Slayers that you can't see beyond that."

"And you, Mrs Giles, are so intent on rebelling that you can't see how much we've done for you!" Travers shot back, and then paused when her words sank in. "There was another one? Where? When? How did you know about it?"

"Quentin," Buffy said, and out of the corner of his eye Giles could see a vicious smile on her face, "he was one of you. He trained with you. He put his life on the line hundreds of times to save your worthless hides and you never once looked into his background!"

Travers slowly turned disbelieving eyes on Giles, who simply smiled benignly. After everything they had tried to do, and for the most part failed miserably at, payback had a very pleasant taste to it.

"Yes?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"You . . . but . . . you . . . you're from a respected family! How could you . . . I knew your father and he would never . . ."

Travers trailed off helplessly.

Giles smiled broadly. "I believe that you'll find you didn't know my father as well as you thought you did."

Buffy grinned at Travers' rapidly reddening face. "You know, red doesn't really go with that tweed."

"This makes no difference!" the older Watcher said sternly. "The child is coming with me and that is the end of the matter. She should be observed, trained . . . I cannot leave her in the hands of-"

"Rebels?" Giles suggested.

"Precisely. You cannot possibly be equipped to deal with a child like this. You've been out of control for too long now and it's high time you both gave your selves up and returned to the Council."

"Y'know, Quentin," Buffy began, "you're even stupider than I thought if you assumed, even for a second, that I'd just give you my daughter. Who better to raise the child of a Slayer than a Slayer and another Slayer's son? Tell me, what do you plan to do with Lotty? Will she have special powers? She's just a child like any other - what on earth could you people give her that she won't already have here?"

"I-I-I-"

Buffy continued ruthlessly and Giles just watched her proudly. "If you want to 'study' a Slayer's child then just read Rupert's records. They'll tell you anything you want to know. Charlotte will be no different to any other child - hell, you could learn just as much by studying your own children as you will by studying her."

"That's not acceptable!"

"And how do you propose to take her away from us?" Buffy asked. "There's only you here. Your special ops unit was taken out months ago and I have good information that you haven't managed to train anyone else. From what I can see, instead of trying to take my baby away you should be looking at your own organisation. So far you've lost two Slayers and two Watchers in less than two years. Seems to me that your problems might be better solved by looking in rather than taking my child and using her to hide any problems you may have."

"But-"

Willow frowned. "How long ago was it that you reviewed your training procedures anyway? Four, five hundred years? It took Giles a year before he was better at anything aside from looking in books. To be honest, I don't think that's any good anymore. And Giles is unique - how many of your Watchers get killed in active duty?"

"That's not-"

"And your Slayers? Pfft!" Willow snorted. "The only ones that survive are the ones that rebel against you - and they still manage to save the world. How do you think Lotty will solve those problems?"

"She's-"

"Will's right," Buffy chimed in again. "Your track record is worse than terrible. What will studying my daughter achieve?"

"It will-"

"And then there's the small matter of how you're going to get her out of the country," Giles added. "She's an American citizen - and if you so much as try to take her we'll have every police-officer in the state after her. You couldn't take her if you tried. And before you say anything, revoking my green card is impossible. I don't think there's a judge in the land that could argue my marriage to Buffy was not genuine."

Travers spluttered, turned puce but could not seem to think of anything to say.

Buffy smiled victoriously. "So what I suggest, Quentin, is that you take your tweedy butt out of my house before I kick it out. Take it back to England and tell them exactly what we've said. I'll even get a transcript if you want. And I never want to see you near me or my family ever again. I'd hate to use violence in front of my daughter but I'm willing to make an exception."

"And if she won't, we will."

Travers turned to find Xander, Faith, Mary, Anya and Tara in the doorway behind him. His eyes widened as he saw the other Slayer, and he looked as though he was about to have a fit when he spotted Mary behind her.

"You! And you! You're meant to be-"

"Dead?" Faith offered. "Sorry, I don't get dead that easily."

Mary drew herself up imperiously, which emphasised her extra inches over the Watcher. "And I rarely stay where I'm supposed to. I believe that this time you're in over your head. If you're sensible, you'll do exactly as my niece has told you. I'll be making a formal complaint to the head of the Council and I expect you to take our suggestions as they are intended - extremely seriously."

"I cannot leave without the child," Travers managed to get out.

"As my young friends would say," Mary said with a cheerful grin, "bite me."

"But-but-"

"You've outstayed your welcome, Quentin," Buffy said glaring icily. "You should leave before we get angry."

Travers' eyes darted helpless around the room but he found no sympathy anywhere. Giles raised an eyebrow at the defeated man. "Well?"

The group at the door stood back to create a small corridor for Travers. The Watcher shook his head.

"Very well, you win. I'll make you a deal."

"A deal?" Giles said mildly. "I believe we're the ones with the power in this situation - why would we be willing to make a deal with you?"

"We won't pursue our claim, if," Travers paused, casting a pleading look at Buffy, "you will send us monthly reports on the child's progress."

"Her name is Charlotte," Buffy informed him. "And you have no right to make demands."

Travers' shoulders slumped dejectedly.

"But I suppose it won't hurt us to let you know how she gets along. Maybe it will teach you a few things. You guys really need to start living in the modern world - staying in the past can't be healthy."

The gratitude in Travers' eyes was almost pathetic, and Giles wondered briefly what the situation back in England was like for him to be taking such crumbs so eagerly. The loss of Slayers and the entire special ops unit had to have been a severe blow to the Watchers. Maybe they could include a few helping hints in their reports. It never hurt to try. The philosophy behind the organisation was not the problem - it was how that philosophy was put into action. The training churned out mindless automatons instead of men and women who were capable of training modern Slayers or facing the evils they were intended for.

Travers straightened and met first Buffy's eyes and then Giles'. "Thank you. We will await your first report eagerly."

There was still no sympathy in their gazes, but the hostility had lessened a little. But Travers finally decided to be intelligent and he made his way to the front door. Once there he looked back and met Mary's cool gaze.

"Miss Stewart, I believe the records of your sister need to be adjusted. I would be grateful in the extreme if you could see your way to providing us with a summation of her actions prior to her death."

Mary watched him for a moment before relenting and giving him a frosty smile. "It will be my pleasure. Louisa was a brave woman - almost as brave as my niece back there. You could learn a great deal from her."

Travers nodded and left. For a moment there was silence before Buffy let out a relieved sigh. She turned and buried her face in Giles' shirt as he brought his arms around her to hold her tightly. For a moment they stood that way, enfolded in the love and connection they shared. He could smell Buffy's shampoo and feel her warmth through his skin and it was home.

"It's all over." Buffy's voice was muffled.

"Yes, love, I think it is."

Buffy looked up and Giles was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "I love you, you know that?"

Giles smiled. "I had gathered that."

"Good. Because I think that's more important than anything else we can do. If I ever forget to tell you how much I love you, will you promise to remind me?"

"Always."

He leaned down and kissed her. Her lips were smooth and warm, and she tasted faintly of toothpaste and cookies. The rest of the room disappeared and he lost himself in the kiss.

***

"Think we might want to leave them alone?" Faith asked Mary quietly.

"We could make tea," the white-haired woman suggested.

Faith glanced at the oblivious couple. "Good plan. Come on troops, we're on supper duty."


	33. Chapter 33

Slowly Buffy woke up. She was comfortable, content, and there was a reassuringly warm body behind her. A strong arm was wrapped around her waist and her hand held his tightly. A smile slowly appeared on her face but she kept her eyes closed, trying to keep the sense of peace and happiness safe within her. Buffy could hear the faint sound of Lotty breathing over the baby-monitor and at the same time she could feel a warm breath on the back of her neck. The room was silent and she could pretend that nothing existed beyond her and her family.

The arm around her waist tightened slightly and she felt warm lips kissing her bare shoulder.

"Morning, love," Giles rumbled.

Buffy wriggled around until she was facing him, their faces so close she had to cross her eyes to focus. She decided that was not dignified and reminded her too much of Lotty, so she let her eyes uncross again. "Morning. How did you know I was awake?"

"Your breathing changes."

"Ah. And you've studied this?"

"Intimately."

"I thought you had."

Buffy moved forward a couple of inches and caught his lips in a lazy kiss. It sent sparks down her spine and a warm ball of fire began to grow inside. She explored thoroughly, enjoying the tiny gasps and moans she managed to entice, and finished with a soothing nibble to his lips. 

Giles cupped her face when she pulled back and smiled at her. "Merry Christmas, love."

Buffy's face broke into a delighted grin. "Ooh, it is, isn't it? I almost forgot - you're much too distracting Mr Giles."

"And you, my love, were the one doing the distracting," Giles corrected her.

"Details, details." Buffy struggled to sit up and he released her with a sigh. "More importantly, did I get any presents?"

Giles looked up at his wife with an amused grin. Buffy's midnight blue satin nightdress was sexy, her hair was tousled, and her lips were swollen from kisses, but the expression on her face was like . . . well, like a kid on Christmas morning. The stresses and tensions that she had endured over the past year melted away as she regarded the bulging stocking at the end of their bed with eager eyes. Sometimes she missed the carefree teenager she had been a year ago but right now she almost felt like that girl again. Lotty might well be the technical child of the household, but Buffy was still young enough to be excited over something as simple as Christmas. It was, she knew, something that Giles loved about her but sometimes she still worried that she was too young for him. Each time she did he reassured her, saying that her youth was balanced by her emotional maturity, but there would probably always be that tiny, niggling worry at the back of her mind.

She put those worries away and focused instead on the little pile of presents she emptied out of the stocking. A satsuma and a bag of nuts had stuffed the toe of the sock, which was apparently a tradition in Giles' family, and she put that aside for later.

Most of the gifts were practical little things - nail files, hair clips, a bottle of her favourite perfume - and she opened those quickly. She was left with two, interesting looking gifts. Buffy picked up the larger one and shook it playfully.

"Hey, it's not a rattley thing," she said with a grin.

"If you open it you'll find out what it is," Giles said with an impatient grimace.

Curiously, Buffy carefully removed the tape and peeled away the bright wrapping paper. For a moment she just held the present, her mind not quite processing it. In her hand she held an old leather-bound book. She opened the cover with a slightly shaking hand. Scribbled on the cover page were a succession of names, dates and dedications. The handwriting varied from beautifully formed copperplate at the top to hastily scrawled messages. The last entry in the book was dated Christmas 2000 and signed from Giles.

"To my beloved Buffy. Yours always, Rupert."

The entry above it was from Albert to Louisa, and from the date she thought it was the final Christmas before the young Slayer had given her life to save her child's. She turned a few more pages and smiled as she recognised a poem she had studied at college. Flicking through it she found several more poems she recognised and lots more that she would enjoy discovering. She returned to the front cover and looked at the dedications more closely.

"Rupert, this has been in your family for over a hundred years. How can you give it away?" she asked, turning to Giles with a shocked expression.

"I'm not giving it away, I'm giving it to you." He took her hand and twined his fingers with hers. "Mary gave it to me a couple of months ago and explained. Apparently it's a family tradition to give this book when someone has found his, or her, true love. My god knows how many times great grandfather gave it to his wife, his son gave it to his wife, and so on through the years. My father gave it to Louisa and now I am giving it to you."

Buffy felt her throat close up and she sniffed. "Rupert, that is so beautiful. Thank you." She held the book tightly against her chest. "I'll always treasure it. Until we have to pass it onto Lotty, anyway."

Holding his eyes with her, she leaned in and kissed him again. This time the kiss was passionate instead of lazy as she tried to convey everything she was feeling but could not express. Giles' hands reached up of their own accord to hold her more securely against him and she sighed.

It was so tempting just to give into the desire she could feel but Buffy forced herself to pull back. She very deliberately put the book on her bedside table, put the rest of the presents on the floor, and then shifted until she was lying sprawled on Giles. Then she returned to her task.

After a few, incredibly pleasant minutes Giles pulled away and looked at her questioningly. "Are you sure, love?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. I know I've been a little bit . . . it's hard to get in the mood when you feel frumpy and fat. Not to mention kinda weird after the whole giving birth thing. But I'm ready now, and I want to."

"Good."

She rested her chin on his chest and peeked up through blonde lashes. "Good? Why, you sound positively deprived."

Giles rolled them over so that he could look down at her with mock seriousness. "You are a difficult woman to resist."

Her wicked chuckle was cut off as his lips descended over hers.

***

Faith stared up at the ceiling. At the end of the attic that she had made into her sleeping area the ceiling was painted with a spectacular night sky, complete with her own impression of the Eagle Star Nebula. The paint for the stars even glowed in the dark. She had graduated the painting as it went down the room through dusk, sunset and at the far end of the attic it was a beautiful summer's day with tiny wisps of clouds. Nobody came up here so she felt free to paint whatever she wanted to. And she had. She grinned wryly; nobody would guess that Faith the Slayer had actually enjoyed art and even had some extra lessons from her teachers. Maybe if there had been the option to do art and drop everything else she might have stayed at school. Or then again, maybe not.

The house was silent apart from the occasional creak as it settled. Christmas morning, she was quickly discovering, did not seem to involve being awake early. _Or at least_ , she corrected, _being out of bed early_. Everyone else in the family was with their honeys.

Faith closed her eyes and tried to will herself back to sleep. After a few minutes her eyes opened again and she sighed morosely. She could not even sleep through the day. Giving in, she sat up and ran a hand through her hair. Outside the day was bright and unnervingly cheerful. Faith glared at the happily beaming sunshine. Christmas morning was supposed to be cold, overcast and depressing. The sun mocked her.

With a heartfelt sigh Faith slid out of bed and pulled on a robe before padding down her little staircase. She almost tripped when her foot came down on an uneven surface at the bottom and she scrambled back a step so she could look down and stare. Somehow a red stocking had found its way onto her bottom step. She was sure there had been nothing there the night before. If it had not been for her name sewn in glittering gold thread on the seasonal red sock she would have assumed that someone had simply dropped it.

The stunned Slayer bent over and picked up the stocking. It was heavy. The presents were all addressed to "Faith" and signed from "Santa". There was no doubt about it; someone had decided that she was going to join in with Christmas.

Faith sat down with a solid thump. For a long moment she simply held the stocking dumbly. It was more than she had ever expected. It was more than she had been given for years. It was a stocking of her own. Wow.

Slowly a grin spread across her face. There was only one thing to do with presents and Faith set about it with childish delight.

***

"Child of mine, you have exquisite timing," Buffy grumbled as she stared down at Lotty.

One of the best parts of making love with Giles, she had discovered (although maybe not **the** best part), was the cuddle time afterwards. Just lying surrounded by him, their love and not having a care about anything else made her feel closer to him than she had ever imagined. Lotty had apparently decided that her parents were not paying enough attention to her, so she began wailing hungrily just as Buffy was lying on Giles in a happily sated sprawl.

"I think, young lady, we need to have words about what time is acceptable to begin waking up," Buffy continued, shaking a finger at Lotty.

In her cot, the baby watched the waving finger with uncertain eyes. On the one had it was mommy, but on the other hand mommy was not feeding her. She did not quite know what to make of it. In the face of insurmountable confusion she decided to complain the only way she knew; she screwed up her face and renewed her screaming.

Buffy rolled her eyes and quickly gave in. Her daughter had her wrapped around her pinkie and the child knew it.

"Come on, sweetie, let's get you fed and changed and then you can open your first Christmas presents."

Lotty felt herself being lifted up so she stopped crying for a moment, willing to play along as long as she got her meal. Little grey eyes peeked up at her mother in a red face and Buffy smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead.

***

"Merry Christmas," Willow and Tara chorus with matching grins as Buffy and Lotty arrived in the kitchen.

Buffy rolled her eyes. The two witches were outfitted in matching Santa hats and there were definite signs that Willow was on a coffee high.

"Haven't you learnt about her and coffee?" she asked Tara, sitting down at the table.

From his post at the stove Giles snorted and she glanced over to see him smiling far too innocently.

"Coffee?" Tara asked, also sporting a much too innocent smile.

"Coffee," Buffy nodded sighing. She winced as Lotty pulled her hair and gently disengaged the baby's hand from it. "Willow plus coffee equals major caffeine high. It's not fun."

"Nu-uh, no coffee," Willow protested. "I haven't had any coffee, have I? You'll back me up?"

The redheaded girl directed pleading eyes at her girlfriend.

"She's right, she hasn't had any coffee," Tara admitted. "Promise. We just got excited about Christmas and . . ."

"We'll be good now."

A plate of waffles appeared on the table in front of Buffy and she felt a kiss planted on her head before Lotty was gently pulled out of her arms. She looked up at Giles gratefully before tucking into her breakfast as he pulled out a chair next to her.

"Remind me again why we get up so early?" Xander asked mournfully as he wandered into the kitchen, Anya in tow behind him. "I'm sure there's a reason, I've just forgotten."

"Presents," Anya supplied helpfully.

Buffy swallowed before asking, "Uh, early how? I thought we were running behind schedule here."

"There's a schedule?" Willow asked worriedly. "Why didn't I see the schedule? Who made up the schedule?"

"Honey, it's ok," Tara said, patting her hand. "We got the turkey ready, remember? Everyone else is just running late."

"Oh, that's all right then."

Xander glared at the cheerful group. "For you it may be late, but I didn't get home until four this morning because **someone** wanted to go to two carol services and then watch the lights in town."

Anya shrugged. "You said it was traditional."

"One church, quick look at the lights and then home. That's tradition."

"Oh."

Xander saw her downcast expression and sighed. "Maybe we'll start our own traditions. We can always sleep tomorrow."

As they moved to the stove to get their share of the waffles they were replaced in the doorway by Faith, wearing a bemused smile. Her hair was freshly washed and brushed, her green shirt and black jeans were not skin tight and even her make-up had been toned down for the day. In her arms lay a small stack of presents and she glanced down at them before gazing around the kitchen.

"Who should I thank for these?" she asked quietly, her usual brash demeanour utterly defeated by the shock of receiving so many presents.

Six pairs of overly innocent eyes reflected back at her and there were universal shrugs. Lotty just blew a raspberry and tried to put her hand in Giles' mouth.

"Santa?" Buffy suggested.

Giving up, Faith deposited her presents on the counter and rummaged in the cupboards for the box of Pop Tarts.

With the entire family present and accounted for there was a unanimous decision that it was time for the present part of the morning so the gang trooped into the brightly decorated lounge.

"So, who's on postman duty?" Buffy asked, curling up next to Giles on a sofa. "Traditionally it's the youngest, but I don't think Lotty can read the labels yet."

"Don't look at me," Anya said, shaking her head violently. "I'm definitely not the youngest. And postman always opens their gifts last so I really don't want to do that."

Faith sighed. "I guess I'm next youngest."

Anya pounced on her presents the moment Faith handed them to her and began pulling the wrapping open eagerly. Faith picked up a mangled piece of bright wrapping paper and held it up with a raised eyebrow.

Willow bit her lip. "I guess Button found the catnip cushion I was giving him."

"Catnip?" Faith asked. "Wait, I probably don't want to know."

Suddenly there was silence from Anya's corner and Buffy looked over to see the former demon holding a small box as though it was a ticking time bomb. She turned hopeful eyes on Xander and held it out.

"Xander, is this what I think it might be?" she asked quietly.

The dark haired young man took a deep breath. "That depends on if you want it to be. If you don't, it's just a pretty ring. If you do, then . . . yeah, it is."

Anya looked at the box intently. After a moment's hesitation she opened the box and handed it to Xander.

"Isn't it traditional for you to put it on me?" she asked.

Xander blinked twice before his brain managed to convert her words and he turned to look at her, astonished. "Do you mean it?"

"Of course. You're handsome, I love you, you're financially stable and I don't want to cast spells on you even when I'm angry because I can't stand the idea of you hurting. Why wouldn't I want to marry you?"

He took a deep, shuddering breath and pulled Anya into a tight hug. Buffy snuggled closer to Giles and grinned as she felt him take her hand. A year ago she would not have put a bet on Anya and Xander lasting a week, but the past year had apparently matured them as well. Looking around at her friends Buffy frowned as she realised that none of them had been untouched by what had happened. The marks of their sacrifices were plain on everyone's faces, but at the same time there was joy. Each of them had found something, in the middle of the pain, that was worth fighting for. She watched Willow smile shyly at Tara, and blush when the blonde girl whispered in her ear. At the same time Faith was sitting with another pile of presents and a stunned expression as she realised that the people around her actually did care.

"We've done good things, love," Giles whispered in her ear as he handed her a soft, squashy present. "It didn't seem like it at the time, but sometimes these things have a way of working themselves out."

Buffy nodded and smiled up at him. "I know. That's just what I was thinking."

"Well, great minds . . ."

She kissed him and grinned cheekily. Lotty, seated in her lap, protested as the bright package in front of her waved around without coming near her grabbing hands. Buffy quickly unwrapped it to reveal a bright pink furry toy with green spots.

"Lotty, you are spoiled," she told the baby.

Lotty ignored her, focusing instead on her new toy.

***

Buffy hurried down the hallway to answer the door. The sounds from the lounge were now much quieter and her adoring adoptive aunts and uncles surrounded little Lotty so she was on doorman duty.

"Hi mom!" she greeted as she opened the door. "Merry Christmas."

Joyce kissed her cheek and smiled down at her. "Hello, honey. Now, where's that beautiful granddaughter of mine?"

She quickly disappeared into the lounge leaving Buffy to close the door behind her.

"And I was worried that she wouldn't accept Lotty?" the blonde Slayer grumbled with an exasperated grin. "Who woulda thunk that mom would actually enjoy being a grandmother? I think she just likes everyone telling her she looks much to young to be a grandmother."

***

A few minutes later the doorbell rang again and Buffy rushed down the hallway to answer it.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas!"

"Is it lunchtime yet?"

Wesley, Cordelia and a black man that she assumed was Gunn stood on her doorstep.

"Hi," Buffy said, holding the door wide. "Come on in. Lunch won't be for another hour."

Cordelia swept through the doorway. "Is Lotty awake?"

"She's being doted on in the lounge," Buffy told her.

Wesley cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I hope we're not imposing."

"Of course not! The more the merrier. Anyway, where else were you planning to go?"

Gunn rolled his eyes. "Hey, I had plans with a turkey roll and the TV until these two dragged me here. It was just going to be a nice, traditional day until Cordelia decided that she had to save me from myself and that apparently involved Christmas trees and turkey gravy."

Buffy grinned up at the tall man. "You're Cordelia's new project? Oh, dear, I'm sorry."

***

Mary hurried up the path to the house, cursing under her breath. All her plans to arrive bright and early so she could spend time with her nephew before the guests arrived had been spoilt by an early morning call from England. When the door opened to reveal Buffy's cheerfully smiling face she decided not to tell her about it yet. There would be time enough later for official business. Today was to be a celebration of joy and life.

***

At the end of the day, with presents given and received, food eaten and much fun had by all, Buffy and Giles lay curled up together on the sofa. Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn were chatting quietly in a corner and Willow and Tara had already fallen asleep propped up against each other. Joyce and Mary were out in the kitchen making coffee, leaving Xander and Anya to play with little Lotty and keep her occupied.

"Rupert," Buffy said sleepily. The effects of her second glass of wine were just kicking in. "Do you have any regrets?"

Giles was silent for a long time as he contemplated, and Buffy was content just to lean against him, his arm snug around her waist, and wait for his answer. She knew that if she had asked the question of some people they would have had an immediate answer. But Giles was different; she knew that he was carefully weighing everything up before he answered and it was one of the many things she loved about him. He was always honest, sometimes painfully so, but it was a carefully considered honesty. Buffy freely admitted that sometimes she spoke before she thought and that occasionally her kind of honesty hurt. However Giles' honesty was always worded in such a way that it only hurt if he intended it to; otherwise, no matter what he was saying, it was hard to take his words painfully. On the other hand, when he chose to be he was scathing and she could remember some times when she was at school that his words had cut her deeply.

Now, though, they understood each other so well that she could hear what he meant beneath the words. She could hear the love and support in his criticism, and the joy he took in his praise.

"No, love, I don't have any regrets," he said eventually. "Despite everything that happened, even despite everything I've learnt about my family, I can't regret it. Without it I wouldn't have you or Lotty, and I wouldn't trade either of you for anything."

Buffy nodded. "I hoped you'd say that."

They were both silent for a while, thinking.

"What happened to your parents?" Buffy asked after a while. "The ones who raised you, not Louisa."

"They died about ten years ago," Giles said sadly. "Father was driving, and a lorry skidded on some ice. They never stood a chance. It's always seemed slightly ironic that after all they had done, and everything they had survived, that they were finally killed by a bit of black ice."

"Were you close?"

"Not at all. Father always seemed a little remote - I suppose I know why now - and mother . . . I always felt as though she was jealous of me in some way. I suppose I know the reason for that as well."

"Did you see Mary much?"

Buffy could hear the smile in his voice. "Almost every day. She was my favourite aunt. She was always the one to take me shopping for school uniforms, give me sweets and watch me in the Christmas play at school. On reflection I suppose my parents were too busy with their own problems."

"It must have been a lonely time, though."

"In a way it was." Giles kissed the top of Buffy's head. "I made a promise that if I ever had a child I would be as much of a father to her as I could, and that is a promise I intend to keep."

"Lotty's going to be a lucky girl." Buffy twisted slightly so she could look into her husband's eyes. "And I'm lucky already."

"I think we both are."


End file.
